Which to use
“padece” and “padecer” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #12,211
- “padece” frequency rank
- #15,678
- “padecer” frequency rank
- 27889
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | padece | padecer |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Tercera persona del singular (él, ella, ello; usted, 2.ª persona) del presente de indicativo de padecer. | Sufrir un daño de cualquier clase, como una carga, un mal o una enfermedad |
Where the eye mixes padece and padecer
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence. padece runs 6 letters (CVCVCV) against padecer's 7 (CVCVCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses padece with padecer
A purely visual mix-up. padece ([paˈð̞ese]) and padecer ([pað̞eˈseɾ]) 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 1 extra letter(s) - “padece” sits inside “padecer”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 27889, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
padece is recorded at frequency rank #12,211, classified as averb, pronounced [paˈð̞ese]. padecer is at rank #15,678, tagged as averb, pronounced [pað̞eˈseɾ].
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 27889, this pair ranks #224,663 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of padece vs padecer
Shared letters: acdep. Private to "padece": -. Private to "padecer": r.
"padece" · 6 letters · shape CVCVCV · "padecer" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "padece" for "padecer" ever safe?
Frequency check: "padece" vs "padecer" - which ranks higher?
Useful next steps
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "padece" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "padecer" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #224,663 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "padece" and "padecer" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "padece vs parce". 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 #224,663 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.