Which to use
“ilícita” is an adjective and “ilícitos” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #21,020
- “ilícita” frequency rank
- #24,183
- “ilícitos” frequency rank
- 45203
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | ilícita | ilícitos |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Forma del femenino de ilícito. | Forma del plural de ilícito. |
Where the eye mixes ilícita and ilícitos
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence. ilícita runs 7 letters (VCVCVCV) against ilícitos's 8 (VCVCVCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Look-alike desk: ilícita vs ilícitos
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: ilícita is [iˈlisit̪a] while ilícitos is [iˈlisit̪os]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (adjective vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 45203, 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]. ilícitos is at rank #24,183, tagged as anoun, pronounced [iˈlisit̪os].
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 45203, this pair ranks #132,793 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of ilícita vs ilícitos
Shared letters: ciltí. Private to "ilícita": a. Private to "ilícitos": os.
"ilícita" · 7 letters · shape VCVCVCV · "ilícitos" · 8 letters · shape VCVCVCVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "ilícita" for "ilícitos" ever safe?
Which is more common, "ilícita" or "ilícitos"?
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 "ilícita" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "ilícitos" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #132,793 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "ilícita" and "ilícitos" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "ilícitas vs ilícitos". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #132,793 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.