nostalgiavsnostálgicaWhat's the difference?

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

Which to use

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

#7,889
“nostalgia” frequency rank
#42,589
“nostálgica” frequency rank
50478
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature nostalgia nostálgica
Definition Sentimiento que se produce al echar de menos los buenos momentos del pasado. Se puede estar nostálgico o tener nostalgia de algo o de alguien. Forma del femenino de nostálgico.

Where the spellings diverge

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

9 ch
nostalgia
10 ch
nostálgica

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: nostalgia is [nosˈt̪alxja] while nostálgica is [nosˈt̪alxika]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (noun vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 50478, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

nostalgia is recorded at frequency rank #7,889, classified as anoun, pronounced [nosˈt̪alxja]. nostálgica is at rank #42,589, tagged as anadj, pronounced [nosˈt̪alxika].

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 50478, this pair ranks #102,994 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of nostalgia vs nostálgica

Shared letters: agilnost. Private to "nostalgia": -. Private to "nostálgica": .

"nostalgia" · 9 letters · shape CVCCVCCVV  ·  "nostálgica" · 10 letters · shape CVCCVCCVCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • nostalgiannostalgia · nosatlgia · nosstalgia · nostaglia · nostalgai · nostalggia · nostaliga · nostallgia

Frequency comparison

nostalgia#7,889
nostálgica#42,589

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "nostalgia" and "nostálgica" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "nostalgia" is a noun and "nostálgica" an adjective, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "nostalgia" or "nostálgica"?
"nostalgia" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #7,889 in our Spanish list, against #42,589 for "nostálgica". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering nostalgia vs nostálgica

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

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