Which to use
“picado” is an adjective and “pierdo” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #12,669
- “picado” frequency rank
- #8,851
- “pierdo” frequency rank
- 21520
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | picado | pierdo |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Epíteto del patrón que se hace con picaduras para señalar un dibujo. | Primera persona del singular (yo) del presente de indicativo de perder o de perderse. |
Where the eye mixes picado and pierdo
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence. picado (CVCVCV) and pierdo (CVVCCV) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Why the eye confuses picado with pierdo
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: picado is [piˈkað̞o] while pierdo is [ˈpjeɾð̞o]. 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 (adjective vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 21520, 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]. pierdo is at rank #8,851, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈpjeɾð̞o].
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 21520, this pair ranks #254,552 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of picado vs pierdo
Shared letters: diop. Private to "picado": ac. Private to "pierdo": er.
"picado" · 6 letters · shape CVCVCV · "pierdo" · 6 letters · shape CVVCCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "picado" for "pierdo" ever safe?
Frequency check: "picado" vs "pierdo" - which ranks higher?
Useful next steps
Eye-level mix-up between "picado" and "pierdo" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "picado" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "pierdo" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #254,552 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "picado" and "pierdo" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "picado vs picados". 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 #254,552 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.