Which to use
“olvidado” is an adjective and “olvidar” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #3,501
- “olvidado” frequency rank
- #2,516
- “olvidar” frequency rank
- 6017
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | olvidado | olvidar |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Se dice del que olvida. | Perder el recuerdo o la memoria de algo. |
Where the eye mixes olvidado and olvidar
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses olvidado with olvidar
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: olvidado is [olβ̞iˈð̞að̞o] while olvidar is [olβ̞iˈð̞aɾ]. 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 (adjective vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 6017, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
olvidado is recorded at frequency rank #3,501, classified as anadj, pronounced [olβ̞iˈð̞að̞o]. olvidar is at rank #2,516, tagged as averb, pronounced [olβ̞iˈð̞aɾ].
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 6017, this pair ranks #311,988 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of olvidado vs olvidar
Shared letters: adilov. Private to "olvidado": -. Private to "olvidar": r.
"olvidado" · 8 letters · shape VCCVCVCV · "olvidar" · 7 letters · shape VCCVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "olvidado" for "olvidar" ever safe?
Which is more common, "olvidado" or "olvidar"?
After this comparison
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "olvidado" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "olvidar" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #311,988 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "olvidado" and "olvidar" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "olvidar vs olvidarás". Nearby pair
- Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes
Confusion rank #311,988 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.