indicavsínfimaWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: indica is a verb, ínfima is an adjective, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“indica” is a verb and “ínfima” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#2,030
“indica” frequency rank
#39,538
“ínfima” frequency rank
41568
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature indica ínfima
Definition Tercera persona del singular (él, ella, ello; usted, 2.ª persona) del presente de indicativo de indicar. Forma del femenino singular de ínfimo.

Where the spellings diverge

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

6 ch
indica
6 ch
ínfima

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: indica is [ĩn̪ˈd̪ika] while ínfima is [ˈĩɱfima]. 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 (verb vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 41568, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

indica is recorded at frequency rank #2,030, classified as averb, pronounced [ĩn̪ˈd̪ika]. ínfima is at rank #39,538, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ˈĩɱfima].

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 41568, this pair ranks #152,969 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of indica vs ínfima

Shared letters: ain. Private to "indica": cd. Private to "ínfima": fmí.

"indica" · 6 letters · shape VCCVCV  ·  "ínfima" · 6 letters · shape VCCVCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • indicaidnica · indcia · inddica · indiac · indicca · inidca · inndica · nidica

Frequency comparison

indica#2,030
ínfima#39,538

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "indica" and "ínfima" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "indica" is a verb and "ínfima" an adjective, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "indica" or "ínfima"?
"indica" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #2,030 in our Spanish list, against #39,538 for "ínfima". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

Remembering indica vs ínfima

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

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