Which to use
“quebrada” is a noun and “quemada” is a participle - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #12,041
- “quebrada” frequency rank
- #13,328
- “quemada” frequency rank
- 25369
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | quebrada | quemada |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Hondonada profunda sobre una montaña, de paredes abruptas, excavada por las aguas en el transcurso del tiempo o por acción tectónica, por cuyo fondo corre un riachuelo o arroyo al menos durante una parte del año. | Forma del femenino de quemado, participio de quemar o de quemarse. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set quebrada and quemada apart are highlighted. They share 6 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: quebrada is [keˈβ̞ɾað̞a] while quemada is [keˈmað̞a]. 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 (noun vs participle), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 25369, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
quebrada is recorded at frequency rank #12,041, classified as anoun, pronounced [keˈβ̞ɾað̞a]. quemada is at rank #13,328, tagged as aparticiple, pronounced [keˈmað̞a].
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 25369, this pair ranks #236,731 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of quebrada vs quemada
Shared letters: adequ. Private to "quebrada": br. Private to "quemada": m.
"quebrada" · 8 letters · shape CVVCCVCV · "quemada" · 7 letters · shape CVVCVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "quebrada" and "quemada" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "quebrada" or "quemada"?
Remembering quebrada vs quemada
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a noun, it's “quebrada”; for a participle, it's “quemada”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “quebrada” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable