IndianvsíndiceWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: Indian is a adjective, índice is a noun, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“Indian” is an adjective and “índice” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#20,083
“Indian” frequency rank
#2,915
“índice” frequency rank
22998
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Indian índice
Definition Hindú. Dedo índice.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set Indian and índice apart are highlighted. They share 3 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

6 ch
Indian
6 ch
índice

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: Indian is /ˈɪndiən/ while índice is [ˈĩn̪d̪ise]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 3 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (adjective vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 22998, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Indian is recorded at frequency rank #20,083, classified as anadj, pronounced /ˈɪndiən/. índice is at rank #2,915, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈĩn̪d̪ise].

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 22998, this pair ranks #247,798 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of Indian vs índice

Shared letters: din. Private to "Indian": a. Private to "índice": ceí.

"Indian" · 6 letters · shape VCCVVC  ·  "índice" · 6 letters · shape VCCVCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Indianidnian · indain · inddian · indiann · indina · inidan · inndian · nidian

Frequency comparison

Indian#20,083
índice#2,915

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "Indian" and "índice" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "Indian" is an adjective and "índice" a noun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "Indian" or "índice"?
"índice" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #2,915 in our Spanish list, against #20,083 for "Indian". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering Indian vs índice

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need an adjective, it's “Indian”; for a noun, it's “índice”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “Indian” 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