Which to use
“explícito” is an adjective and “explicó” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #16,581
- “explícito” frequency rank
- #3,321
- “explicó” frequency rank
- 19902
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | explícito | explicó |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Que expresa o manifiesta algo de un modo directo y claro. | Tercera persona del singular (él, ella, ello; usted, 2.ª persona) del pretérito perfecto simple de indicativo de explicar. |
Where the eye mixes explícito and explicó
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence. explícito runs 9 letters (VCCCVCVCV) against explicó's 7 (VCCCVCV) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses explícito with explicó
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: explícito is [eksˈplisit̪o] while explicó is [ekspliˈko]. 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 (adjective vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 19902, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
explícito is recorded at frequency rank #16,581, classified as anadj, pronounced [eksˈplisit̪o]. 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 19902, this pair ranks #261,717 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of explícito vs explicó
Shared letters: ceilpx. Private to "explícito": otí. Private to "explicó": ó.
"explícito" · 9 letters · shape VCCCVCVCV · "explicó" · 7 letters · shape VCCCVCV
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "explícito" and "explicó" be used interchangeably?
In ordinary Spanish text, does "explícito" or "explicó" show up more?
What to do next
Eye-level mix-up between "explícito" and "explicó" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "explícito" 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 #261,717 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "explícito" and "explicó" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "explícito vs explícitos". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #261,717 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.