explicavsexplicadoConfusable pair

Which to use

“explica” and “explicado” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#1,677
“explica” frequency rank
#7,556
“explicado” frequency rank
9233
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature explica explicado
Definition Tercera persona del singular (él, ella, ello; usted, 2.ª persona) del presente de indicativo de explicar. Participio de explicar.

Where the eye mixes explica and explicado

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence.

7 ch
explica
9 ch
explicado

Why the eye confuses explica with explicado

A purely visual mix-up. explica ([eksˈplika]) and explicado ([ekspliˈkað̞o]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they differ by 2 extra letter(s) - “explica” sits inside “explicado”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 9233, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

explica is recorded at frequency rank #1,677, classified as averb, pronounced [eksˈplika]. explicado is at rank #7,556, tagged as averb, pronounced [ekspliˈkað̞o].

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 9233, this pair ranks #302,556 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of explica vs explicado

Shared letters: aceilpx. Private to "explica": -. Private to "explicado": do.

"explica" · 7 letters · shape VCCCVCV  ·  "explicado" · 9 letters · shape VCCCVCVCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • explicaepxlica · exlpica · expilca · explcia · expliac · explicca · expllica · expplica
  • explicadoepxlicado · exlpicado · expilcado · explciado · expliacdo · explicaddo · explicaod · expliccado

Frequently Asked Questions

Is swapping "explica" for "explicado" ever safe?
No. They are said differently ([eksˈplika] versus [ekspliˈkað̞o]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
In ordinary Spanish text, does "explica" or "explicado" show up more?
"explica" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #1,677 in our Spanish list, against #7,556 for "explicado". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

What to do next

Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.

  • Full dictionary entry for "explica" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "explicado" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #302,556 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "explica" and "explicado" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "expirado vs explicado". Nearby pair
  • Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes

Confusion rank #302,556 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list