envenenavsenvenenadoWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: envenena is a verb, envenenado is an adjective, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“envenena” is a verb and “envenenado” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#47,108
“envenena” frequency rank
#24,495
“envenenado” frequency rank
71603
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature envenena envenenado
Definition Tercera persona del singular (él, ella, ello; usted, 2.ª persona) del presente de indicativo de envenenar. Dícese de aquel que sufre los efectos de un envenenamiento, o tras haber sido expuesto a algún veneno.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set envenena and envenenado apart are highlighted. They share 8 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

8 ch
envenena
10 ch
envenenado

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

envenena and envenenado form a confusable pair in the Spanish index, two distinct headwords that are easily confused because they look alike, sound alike, or both. They differ by 2 extra letter(s) - “envenena” sits inside “envenenado” - close enough that the eye skips over the difference, far enough that meaning fully diverges. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 71603, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

envenena is recorded at frequency rank #47,108, classified as averb, pronounced [ẽmbeˈnena]. envenenado is at rank #24,495, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ẽmbeneˈnað̞o].

Glosses for this pair are partially populated in our dataset, but the full side-by-side definitions above should still guide you to the right choice.

With a confusion score of 71603, this pair ranks #27,127 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Frequency comparison

envenena#47,108
envenenado#24,495

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "envenena" and "envenenado" be used interchangeably?
No, "envenena" and "envenenado" have distinct meanings and cannot be swapped without changing the meaning of a sentence. Understanding the specific definition and context for each word is essential for correct usage.

Remembering envenena vs envenenado

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “envenena”; for an adjective, it's “envenenado”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “envenena” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list