Which to use
“picado” is an adjective and “pican” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #12,669
- “picado” frequency rank
- #32,333
- “pican” frequency rank
- 45002
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | picado | pican |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Epíteto del patrón que se hace con picaduras para señalar un dibujo. | Tercera persona del plural (ellos, ellas; ustedes, 2.ª persona) del presente de indicativo de picar o de picarse. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set picado and pican 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: picado is [piˈkað̞o] while pican is [ˈpikãn]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (adjective vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 45002, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
picado is recorded at frequency rank #12,669, classified as anadj, pronounced [piˈkað̞o]. pican is at rank #32,333, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈpikãn].
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 45002, this pair ranks #133,895 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of picado vs pican
Shared letters: acip. Private to "picado": do. Private to "pican": n.
"picado" · 6 letters · shape CVCVCV · "pican" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "picado" and "pican" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "picado" or "pican"?
Remembering picado vs pican
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need an adjective, it's “picado”; for a verb, it's “pican”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “picado” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable