patologíavspatológicoWhat's the difference?

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

Which to use

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

#14,910
“patología” frequency rank
#37,250
“patológico” frequency rank
52160
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature patología patológico
Definition Rama de la medicina que estudia la naturaleza de la enfermedad, sus causas, procesos, desarrollo y consecuencias. Propio de la patología o relacionado con ella.

Where the spellings diverge

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

9 ch
patología
10 ch
patológico

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: patología is [pat̪oloˈxia] while patológico is [pat̪oˈloxiko]. 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 52160, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

patología is recorded at frequency rank #14,910, classified as anoun, pronounced [pat̪oloˈxia]. patológico is at rank #37,250, tagged as anadj, pronounced [pat̪oˈloxiko].

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 52160, this pair ranks #94,091 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of patología vs patológico

Shared letters: aglopt. Private to "patología": í. Private to "patológico": ció.

"patología" · 9 letters · shape CVCVCVCVV  ·  "patológico" · 10 letters · shape CVCVCVCVCV

Frequency comparison

patología#14,910
patológico#37,250

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "patología" and "patológico" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "patología" is a noun and "patológico" an adjective, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "patología" or "patológico"?
"patología" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #14,910 in our Spanish list, against #37,250 for "patológico". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering patología vs patológico

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

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