precariovsprecioTell them apart

Which to use

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

#21,448
“precario” frequency rank
#594
“precio” frequency rank
22042
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature precario precio
Definition De poca estabilidad o duración. Cantidad de dinero en la que está valorado algo.

Where the eye mixes precario and precio

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence. precario runs 8 letters (CCVCVCVV) against precio's 6 (CCVCVV) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.

8 ch
precario
6 ch
precio

Why the eye confuses precario with precio

A purely visual mix-up. precario ([pɾeˈkaɾjo]) and precio ([ˈpɾesjo]) 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 2 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 22042, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

precario is recorded at frequency rank #21,448, classified as anoun, pronounced [pɾeˈkaɾjo]. precio is at rank #594, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈpɾesjo].

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 22042, this pair ranks #252,206 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of precario vs precio

Shared letters: ceiopr. Private to "precario": a. Private to "precio": -.

"precario" · 8 letters · shape CCVCVCVV  ·  "precio" · 6 letters · shape CCVCVV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • precariopercario · pprecario · prceario · preacrio · precairo · precaroi · precarrio · preccario
  • preciopercio · pprecio · prceio · preccio · precoi · preico · presio · prrecio

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "precario" and "precio" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([pɾeˈkaɾjo] versus [ˈpɾesjo]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "precario" or "precio"?
"precio" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #594 in our Spanish list, against #21,448 for "precario". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

What to do next

Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.

  • Full dictionary entry for "precario" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "precio" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #252,206 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "precario" and "precio" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "precario vs precedió". 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 #252,206 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list