explicavsexplícitaWhat's the difference?

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

Which to use

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

#1,677
“explica” frequency rank
#16,101
“explícita” frequency rank
17778
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature explica explícita
Definition Tercera persona del singular (él, ella, ello; usted, 2.ª persona) del presente de indicativo de explicar. Forma del femenino singular de explícito.

Where the eye mixes explica and explícita

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence.

7 ch
explica
9 ch
explícita

Look-alike desk: explica vs explícita

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: explica is [eksˈplika] while explícita is [eksˈplisit̪a]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 2 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 17778, 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]. explícita is at rank #16,101, tagged as anadj, pronounced [eksˈplisit̪a].

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 17778, this pair ranks #270,731 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of explica vs explícita

Shared letters: aceilpx. Private to "explica": -. Private to "explícita": .

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

Known mistypes of this pair

  • explicaepxlica · exlpica · expilca · explcia · expliac · explicca · expllica · expplica

Frequently Asked Questions

Do "explica" and "explícita" mean the same thing in a sentence?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "explica" is a verb and "explícita" an adjective, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "explica" or "explícita"?
"explica" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #1,677 in our Spanish list, against #16,101 for "explícita". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Useful next steps

Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.

  • Full dictionary entry for "explica" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "explícita" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #270,731 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "explica" and "explícita" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "explícita vs explícitos". 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 #270,731 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