Which to use
“pelos” and “picos” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #6,443
- “pelos” frequency rank
- #12,024
- “picos” frequency rank
- 18467
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | pelos | picos |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Forma del plural de pelo. | Forma del plural de pico. |
Where the eye mixes pelos and picos
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses pelos with picos
A purely visual mix-up. pelos ([ˈpelos]) and picos ([ˈpikos]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 18467, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
pelos is recorded at frequency rank #6,443, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈpelos]. picos is at rank #12,024, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈpikos].
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 18467, this pair ranks #267,796 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of pelos vs picos
Shared letters: ops. Private to "pelos": el. Private to "picos": ci.
"pelos" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC · "picos" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "pelos" and "picos" be used interchangeably?
In ordinary Spanish text, does "pelos" or "picos" show up more?
Useful next steps
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "pelos" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "picos" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #267,796 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "pelos" and "picos" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "picados vs picos". Nearby pair
- Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes
Confusion rank #267,796 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.