Which to use
“pican” is a verb and “pícara” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #32,333
- “pican” frequency rank
- #46,151
- “pícara” frequency rank
- 78484
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | pican | pícara |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Tercera persona del plural (ellos, ellas; ustedes, 2.ª persona) del presente de indicativo de picar o de picarse. | Forma del femenino singular de pícaro. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set pican and pícara apart are highlighted. They share 3 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: pican is [ˈpikãn] while pícara is [ˈpikaɾa]. 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 (verb vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 78484, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
pican is recorded at frequency rank #32,333, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈpikãn]. 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 78484, this pair ranks #14,385 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of pican vs pícara
Shared letters: acp. Private to "pican": in. Private to "pícara": rí.
"pican" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC · "pícara" · 6 letters · shape CVCVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
- pican ← ipcan · pcian · piacn · picann · piccan · picna · ppican
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "pican" and "pícara" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "pican" or "pícara"?
Remembering pican vs pícara
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “pican”; for an adjective, it's “pícara”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “pican” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable