ilícitavsilícitasWhat's the difference?

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 spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set ilícita and ilícitas apart are highlighted. They share 7 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

7 ch
ilícita
8 ch
ilícitas

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

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

Frequency comparison

ilícita#21,020
ilícitas#29,253

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "ilícita" and "ilícitas" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([iˈlisit̪a] versus [iˈlisit̪as]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "ilícita" or "ilícitas"?
"ilícita" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #21,020 in our Spanish list, against #29,253 for "ilícitas". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering ilícita vs ilícitas

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “ilícita” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list