Which to use
“picada” is a noun and “pícara” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #14,914
- “picada” frequency rank
- #46,151
- “pícara” frequency rank
- 61065
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | picada | pícara |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Senda estrecha en los montes, y especialmente el paso en los arroyos por donde sólo se puede cruzar a caballo. | Forma del femenino singular de pícaro. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set picada and pícara apart are highlighted. They share 4 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: picada is [piˈkað̞a] while pícara is [ˈpikaɾa]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (noun vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 61065, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
picada is recorded at frequency rank #14,914, classified as anoun, pronounced [piˈkað̞a]. pícara is at rank #46,151, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ˈpikaɾa].
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 61065, this pair ranks #56,748 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of picada vs pícara
Shared letters: acp. Private to "picada": di. Private to "pícara": rí.
"picada" · 6 letters · shape CVCVCV · "pícara" · 6 letters · shape CVCVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
- picada ← ipcada · pciada · piacda · picaad · picadda · piccada · picdaa · ppicada
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "picada" and "pícara" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "picada" or "pícara"?
Remembering picada vs pícara
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a noun, it's “picada”; for an adjective, it's “pícara”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “picada” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable