pánicovspicoWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: pánico is a adjective, pico is a noun, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

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

#5,147
“pánico” frequency rank
#3,279
“pico” frequency rank
8426
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature pánico pico
Definition Relativo al dios Pan. Estructura óseo-vascular que cubre la boca y nariz de las aves, adaptada a sus hábitos alimentarios.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set pánico and pico apart are highlighted. They share 4 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

6 ch
pánico
4 ch
pico

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: pánico is [ˈpaniko] while pico is [ˈpiko]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 2 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (adjective vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 8426, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

pánico is recorded at frequency rank #5,147, classified as anadj, pronounced [ˈpaniko]. pico is at rank #3,279, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈpiko].

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 8426, this pair ranks #305,028 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of pánico vs pico

Shared letters: ciop. Private to "pánico": . Private to "pico": -.

"pánico" · 6 letters · shape CVCVCV  ·  "pico" · 4 letters · shape CVCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • picoipco · pcio · picco · pioc · ppico

Frequency comparison

pánico#5,147
pico#3,279

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "pánico" and "pico" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "pánico" is an adjective and "pico" a noun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "pánico" or "pico"?
"pico" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #3,279 in our Spanish list, against #5,147 for "pánico". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering pánico vs pico

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

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