indicavsintimaWhat's the difference?

Which to use

“indica” and “intima” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#2,030
“indica” frequency rank
#49,738
“intima” frequency rank
51768
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature indica intima
Definition Tercera persona del singular (él, ella, ello; usted, 2.ª persona) del presente de indicativo de indicar. Tercera persona del singular (él, ella, ello; usted, 2.ª persona) del presente de indicativo de intimar.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set indica and intima apart are highlighted. They share 4 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

6 ch
indica
6 ch
intima

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. indica ([ĩn̪ˈd̪ika]) and intima ([ĩn̪ˈt̪ima]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 51768, 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]. intima is at rank #49,738, tagged as averb, pronounced [ĩn̪ˈt̪ima].

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 51768, this pair ranks #96,153 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of indica vs intima

Shared letters: ain. Private to "indica": cd. Private to "intima": mt.

"indica" · 6 letters · shape VCCVCV  ·  "intima" · 6 letters · shape VCCVCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • indicaidnica · indcia · inddica · indiac · indicca · inidca · inndica · nidica
  • intimainitma · inntima · intiam · intimma · intmia · inttima · itnima · nitima

Frequency comparison

indica#2,030
intima#49,738

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "indica" and "intima" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ĩn̪ˈd̪ika] versus [ĩn̪ˈt̪ima]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "indica" or "intima"?
"indica" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #2,030 in our Spanish list, against #49,738 for "intima". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

Remembering indica vs intima

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 “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