infectadovsinfectarWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#21,025
“infectado” frequency rank
#36,100
“infectar” frequency rank
57125
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature infectado infectar
Definition Participio de infectar. Contagiar o traspasar alguna enfermedad o agente infeccioso.

Where the spellings diverge

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

9 ch
infectado
8 ch
infectar

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. infectado ([ĩɱfekˈt̪að̞o]) 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 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 57125, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

infectado is recorded at frequency rank #21,025, classified as averb, pronounced [ĩɱfekˈt̪að̞o]. 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 57125, this pair ranks #71,752 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of infectado vs infectar

Shared letters: acefint. Private to "infectado": do. Private to "infectar": r.

"infectado" · 9 letters · shape VCCVCCVCV  ·  "infectar" · 8 letters · shape VCCVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • infectadoifnectado · inefctado · infcetado · infecatdo · infecctado · infectaddo · infectaod · infectdao
  • infectarifnectar · inefctar · infcetar · infecatr · infecctar · infectarr · infectra · infecttar

Frequency comparison

infectado#21,025
infectar#36,100

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "infectado" and "infectar" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ĩɱfekˈt̪að̞o] versus [ĩɱfekˈt̪aɾ]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "infectado" or "infectar"?
"infectado" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #21,025 in our Spanish list, against #36,100 for "infectar". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering infectado 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 “infectado” 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