mecánicosvsmetálicosWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: mecánicos is a noun, metálicos is an adjective, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

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

#13,090
“mecánicos” frequency rank
#15,666
“metálicos” frequency rank
28756
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature mecánicos metálicos
Definition Forma del plural de mecánico. Forma del plural de metálico.

Where the spellings diverge

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

9 ch
mecánicos
9 ch
metálicos

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: mecánicos is [meˈkanikos] while metálicos is [meˈt̪alikos]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (noun vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 28756, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

mecánicos is recorded at frequency rank #13,090, classified as anoun, pronounced [meˈkanikos]. metálicos is at rank #15,666, tagged as anadj, pronounced [meˈt̪alikos].

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 28756, this pair ranks #220,414 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of mecánicos vs metálicos

Shared letters: ceimosá. Private to "mecánicos": n. Private to "metálicos": lt.

"mecánicos" · 9 letters · shape CVCVCVCVC  ·  "metálicos" · 9 letters · shape CVCVCVCVC

Frequency comparison

mecánicos#13,090
metálicos#15,666

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "mecánicos" and "metálicos" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "mecánicos" is a noun and "metálicos" an adjective, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "mecánicos" or "metálicos"?
"mecánicos" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #13,090 in our Spanish list, against #15,666 for "metálicos". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering mecánicos vs metálicos

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

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