parecidovsprecisoWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#2,517
“parecido” frequency rank
#5,246
“preciso” frequency rank
7763
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature parecido preciso
Definition Con características en común, iguales o comparables a las de otro ser. Necesario, indispensable.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set parecido and preciso apart are highlighted. They share 6 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

8 ch
parecido
7 ch
preciso

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. parecido ([paɾeˈsið̞o]) and preciso ([pɾeˈsiso]) 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 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 7763, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

parecido is recorded at frequency rank #2,517, classified as anadj, pronounced [paɾeˈsið̞o]. preciso is at rank #5,246, tagged as anadj, pronounced [pɾeˈsiso].

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 7763, this pair ranks #307,003 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of parecido vs preciso

Shared letters: ceiopr. Private to "parecido": ad. Private to "preciso": s.

"parecido" · 8 letters · shape CVCVCVCV  ·  "preciso" · 7 letters · shape CCVCVCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • parecidoaprecido · paercido · parceido · pareccido · parecdio · pareciddo · pareciod · pareicdo
  • precisoperciso · ppreciso · prceiso · precciso · precisso · precsio · preicso · presiso

Frequency comparison

parecido#2,517
preciso#5,246

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "parecido" and "preciso" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([paɾeˈsið̞o] versus [pɾeˈsiso]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "parecido" or "preciso"?
"parecido" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #2,517 in our Spanish list, against #5,246 for "preciso". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering parecido vs preciso

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 “parecido” 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