Which to use
“pecado” is a noun and “picado” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #4,446
- “pecado” frequency rank
- #12,669
- “picado” frequency rank
- 17115
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | pecado | picado |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Trasgresión voluntaria de los mandamientos religiosos o divinos; infracción moral. | Epíteto del patrón que se hace con picaduras para señalar un dibujo. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set pecado and picado apart are highlighted. They share 5 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
pecado and picado form a confusable pair in the Spanish index, two distinct headwords that are easily confused because they look alike, sound alike, or both. They differ by a single letter - e in “pecado” becomes i in “picado” - close enough that the eye skips over the difference, far enough that meaning fully diverges. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 17115, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
pecado is recorded at frequency rank #4,446, classified as anoun, pronounced [peˈkað̞o]. picado is at rank #12,669, tagged as anadj, pronounced [piˈkað̞o].
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 17115, this pair ranks #273,491 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "pecado" and "picado" be used interchangeably?
Remembering pecado vs picado
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a noun, it's “pecado”; for an adjective, it's “picado”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “pecado” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable