metálicavsmetálicoWhat's the difference?

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

Which to use

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

#15,899
“metálica” frequency rank
#11,813
“metálico” frequency rank
27712
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature metálica metálico
Definition Ocupación o arte de extraer metales u otros minerales y procesarlos para el uso humano. Propio de, relativo a o similar al metal.

Where the spellings diverge

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

8 ch
metálica
8 ch
metálico

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: metálica is [meˈt̪alika] while metálico is [meˈt̪aliko]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by a single letter - a in “metálica” becomes o in “metálico”, and the parts of speech differ too (noun vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 27712, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

metálica is recorded at frequency rank #15,899, classified as anoun, pronounced [meˈt̪alika]. metálico is at rank #11,813, tagged as anadj, pronounced [meˈt̪aliko].

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 27712, this pair ranks #225,491 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of metálica vs metálico

Shared letters: ceilmtá. Private to "metálica": a. Private to "metálico": o.

"metálica" · 8 letters · shape CVCVCVCV  ·  "metálico" · 8 letters · shape CVCVCVCV

Frequency comparison

metálica#15,899
metálico#11,813

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "metálica" and "metálico" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "metálica" is a noun and "metálico" an adjective, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "metálica" or "metálico"?
"metálico" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #11,813 in our Spanish list, against #15,899 for "metálica". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering metálica vs metálico

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

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