perfecciónvspersecuciónWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#5,419
“perfección” frequency rank
#4,735
“persecución” frequency rank
10154
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature perfección persecución
Definition Acción o acto de perfeccionar o perfeccionarse. Acción o efecto de perseguir.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set perfección and persecución apart are highlighted. They share 9 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

10 ch
perfección
11 ch
persecución

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. perfección ([peɾfekˈsjõn]) and persecución ([peɾsekuˈsjõn]) 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 10154, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

perfección is recorded at frequency rank #5,419, classified as anoun, pronounced [peɾfekˈsjõn]. persecución is at rank #4,735, tagged as anoun, pronounced [peɾsekuˈsjõn].

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 10154, this pair ranks #299,625 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of perfección vs persecución

Shared letters: ceinpró. Private to "perfección": f. Private to "persecución": su.

"perfección" · 10 letters · shape CVCCVCCVVC  ·  "persecución" · 11 letters · shape CVCCVCVCVVC

Frequency comparison

perfección#5,419
persecución#4,735

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "perfección" and "persecución" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([peɾfekˈsjõn] versus [peɾsekuˈsjõn]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "perfección" or "persecución"?
"persecución" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #4,735 in our Spanish list, against #5,419 for "perfección". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering perfección vs persecución

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 “perfección” 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