histéricavshistóricoTell them apart

Which to use

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

#23,809
“histérica” frequency rank
#1,511
“histórico” frequency rank
25320
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature histérica histórico
Definition Forma del femenino de histérico. Propio o relacionado con la historia.

Where the eye mixes histérica and histórico

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence. histérica and histórico follow the identical consonant-vowel pattern (CVCCVCVCV). Same shape at a glance is often the real trap, independent of shared letters.

9 ch
histérica
9 ch
histórico

Visual trap between histérica and histórico

A purely visual mix-up. histérica ([isˈt̪eɾika]) and histórico ([isˈt̪oɾiko]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 25320, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

histérica is recorded at frequency rank #23,809, classified as anadj, pronounced [isˈt̪eɾika]. histórico is at rank #1,511, tagged as anadj, pronounced [isˈt̪oɾiko].

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 25320, this pair ranks #236,989 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of histérica vs histórico

Shared letters: chirst. Private to "histérica": aé. Private to "histórico": oó.

"histérica" · 9 letters · shape CVCCVCVCV  ·  "histórico" · 9 letters · shape CVCCVCVCV

Frequently Asked Questions

Do "histérica" and "histórico" mean the same thing in a sentence?
No. They are said differently ([isˈt̪eɾika] versus [isˈt̪oɾiko]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Frequency check: "histérica" vs "histórico" - which ranks higher?
"histórico" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #1,511 in our Spanish list, against #23,809 for "histérica". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

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 "histérica" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "histórico" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #236,989 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "histérica" and "histórico" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "histérica vs histéricos". Nearby pair

Confusion rank #236,989 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