pecarvspocasWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: pecar is a verb, pocas is an adjective, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“pecar” is a verb and “pocas” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#27,714
“pecar” frequency rank
#1,391
“pocas” frequency rank
29105
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature pecar pocas
Definition Obrar en contra de ciertas reglas o normas éticas o mandamientos religiosos; cometer un pecado o una infracción; transgredir una prohibición moral. Forma del femenino plural de poco.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set pecar and pocas apart are highlighted. They share 3 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

5 ch
pecar
5 ch
pocas

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

pecar and pocas form a confusable pair in the Spanish index, two distinct headwords that are easily confused because they look alike, sound alike, or both. They share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions - close enough that the eye skips over the difference, far enough that meaning fully diverges. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 29105, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

pecar is recorded at frequency rank #27,714, classified as averb, pronounced [peˈkaɾ]. pocas is at rank #1,391, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ˈpokas].

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 29105, this pair ranks #218,666 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Frequency comparison

pecar#27,714
pocas#1,391

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "pecar" and "pocas" be used interchangeably?
No, "pecar" and "pocas" have distinct meanings and cannot be swapped without changing the meaning of a sentence. Understanding the specific definition and context for each word is essential for correct usage.

Remembering pecar vs pocas

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “pecar”; for an adjective, it's “pocas”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “pecar” 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 FrequencyWords open word-frequency list