pericovsperritoWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#21,104
“perico” frequency rank
#11,106
“perrito” frequency rank
32210
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature perico perrito
Definition Cualquier ave trepadora de la familia de los loros de tamaño pequeño o mediano. Diminutivo de perro.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set perico and perrito apart are highlighted. They share 5 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

6 ch
perico
7 ch
perrito

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. perico ([peˈɾiko]) and perrito ([peˈrit̪o]) 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 32210, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

perico is recorded at frequency rank #21,104, classified as anoun, pronounced [peˈɾiko]. perrito is at rank #11,106, tagged as anoun, pronounced [peˈrit̪o].

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 32210, this pair ranks #203,186 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of perico vs perrito

Shared letters: eiopr. Private to "perico": c. Private to "perrito": t.

"perico" · 6 letters · shape CVCVCV  ·  "perrito" · 7 letters · shape CVCCVCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • pericoeprico · peirco · pericco · perioc · perrico · pperico
  • perritoeprrito · perirto · perriot · perritto · perrtio · pperrito · prerito

Frequency comparison

perico#21,104
perrito#11,106

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "perico" and "perrito" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([peˈɾiko] versus [peˈrit̪o]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "perico" or "perrito"?
"perrito" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #11,106 in our Spanish list, against #21,104 for "perico". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering perico vs perrito

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 “perico” 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