Which to use
“explica” and “explicó” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #1,677
- “explica” frequency rank
- #3,321
- “explicó” frequency rank
- 4998
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | explica | explicó |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Tercera persona del singular (él, ella, ello; usted, 2.ª persona) del presente de indicativo de explicar. | Tercera persona del singular (él, ella, ello; usted, 2.ª persona) del pretérito perfecto simple de indicativo de explicar. |
Where the eye mixes explica and explicó
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence.
Look-alike desk: explica vs explicó
A purely visual mix-up. explica ([eksˈplika]) and explicó ([ekspliˈko]) 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 a single letter - a in “explica” becomes ó in “explicó”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 4998, 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]. explicó is at rank #3,321, tagged as averb, pronounced [ekspliˈko].
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 4998, this pair ranks #314,729 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of explica vs explicó
Shared letters: ceilpx. Private to "explica": a. Private to "explicó": ó.
"explica" · 7 letters · shape VCCCVCV · "explicó" · 7 letters · shape VCCCVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
- explica ← epxlica · exlpica · expilca · explcia · expliac · explicca · expllica · expplica
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "explica" and "explicó" mean the same thing in a sentence?
In ordinary Spanish text, does "explica" or "explicó" show up more?
What to do next
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 "explicó" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #314,729 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "explica" and "explicó" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "etílico vs explicó". 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 #314,729 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.