Which to use
“ilícita” and “ilícitas” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #21,020
- “ilícita” frequency rank
- #29,253
- “ilícitas” frequency rank
- 50273
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | ilícita | ilícitas |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Forma del femenino de ilícito. | Forma del femenino plural de ilícito. |
Where the eye mixes ilícita and ilícitas
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence. ilícita runs 7 letters (VCVCVCV) against ilícitas's 8 (VCVCVCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Look-alike desk: ilícita vs ilícitas
A purely visual mix-up. ilícita ([iˈlisit̪a]) and ilícitas ([iˈlisit̪as]) 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 1 extra letter(s) - “ilícita” sits inside “ilícitas”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 50273, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
ilícita is recorded at frequency rank #21,020, classified as anadj, pronounced [iˈlisit̪a]. ilícitas is at rank #29,253, tagged as anadj, pronounced [iˈlisit̪as].
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 50273, this pair ranks #104,106 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of ilícita vs ilícitas
Shared letters: aciltí. Private to "ilícita": -. Private to "ilícitas": s.
"ilícita" · 7 letters · shape VCVCVCV · "ilícitas" · 8 letters · shape VCVCVCVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "ilícita" for "ilícitas" ever safe?
In ordinary Spanish text, does "ilícita" or "ilícitas" show up more?
Useful next steps
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "ilícita" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "ilícitas" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #104,106 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "ilícita" and "ilícitas" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "ilícitas vs ilícitos". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #104,106 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.