infectavsinfectarWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#41,978
“infecta” frequency rank
#36,100
“infectar” frequency rank
78078
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature infecta infectar
Definition Tercera persona del singular (él, ella, ello; usted, 2.ª persona) del presente de indicativo de infectar. Contagiar o traspasar alguna enfermedad o agente infeccioso.

Where the spellings diverge

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

7 ch
infecta
8 ch
infectar

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. infecta ([ĩɱˈfekt̪a]) and infectar ([ĩɱfekˈt̪aɾ]) 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) - “infecta” sits inside “infectar”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 78078, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

infecta is recorded at frequency rank #41,978, classified as averb, pronounced [ĩɱˈfekt̪a]. infectar is at rank #36,100, tagged as averb, pronounced [ĩɱfekˈt̪aɾ].

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 78078, this pair ranks #14,996 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of infecta vs infectar

Shared letters: acefint. Private to "infecta": -. Private to "infectar": r.

"infecta" · 7 letters · shape VCCVCCV  ·  "infectar" · 8 letters · shape VCCVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • infectaifnecta · inefcta · infceta · infecat · infeccta · infectta · infetca · inffecta
  • infectarifnectar · inefctar · infcetar · infecatr · infecctar · infectarr · infectra · infecttar

Frequency comparison

infecta#41,978
infectar#36,100

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "infecta" and "infectar" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ĩɱˈfekt̪a] versus [ĩɱfekˈt̪aɾ]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "infecta" or "infectar"?
"infectar" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #36,100 in our Spanish list, against #41,978 for "infecta". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering infecta vs infectar

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 “infecta” 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