modificanvsmodificarWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#22,775
“modifican” frequency rank
#5,334
“modificar” frequency rank
28109
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature modifican modificar
Definition Tercera persona del plural (ellos, ellas; ustedes, 2.ª persona) del presente de indicativo de modificar. cambiar algo.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set modifican and modificar apart are highlighted. They share 8 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

9 ch
modifican
9 ch
modificar

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. modifican ([moð̞iˈfikãn]) and modificar ([moð̞ifiˈkaɾ]) 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 a single letter - n in “modifican” becomes r in “modificar”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 28109, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

modifican is recorded at frequency rank #22,775, classified as averb, pronounced [moð̞iˈfikãn]. modificar is at rank #5,334, tagged as averb, pronounced [moð̞ifiˈkaɾ].

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 28109, this pair ranks #223,593 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of modifican vs modificar

Shared letters: acdfimo. Private to "modifican": n. Private to "modificar": r.

"modifican" · 9 letters · shape CVCVCVCVC  ·  "modificar" · 9 letters · shape CVCVCVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • modificanmdoifican · mmodifican · moddifican · modfiican · modifcian · modiffican · modifiacn · modificann
  • modificarmdoificar · mmodificar · moddificar · modfiicar · modifciar · modifficar · modifiacr · modificarr

Frequency comparison

modifican#22,775
modificar#5,334

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "modifican" and "modificar" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([moð̞iˈfikãn] versus [moð̞ifiˈkaɾ]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "modifican" or "modificar"?
"modificar" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #5,334 in our Spanish list, against #22,775 for "modifican". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering modifican vs modificar

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 “modifican” 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