químicavsquímicoWhich spelling fits?

Quick tell: química is a noun, químico is an adjective, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“química” is a noun and “químico” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#3,806
“química” frequency rank
#9,029
“químico” frequency rank
12835
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature química químico
Definition Ciencia natural que estudia la composición y constitución de las substancias considerando sus átomos y sus interrelaciones, así como los cambios que experimentan como consecuencia de las alteraciones de sus moléculas. Que pertenece o concierne a la química.

Where the eye mixes química and químico

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence. química and químico follow the identical consonant-vowel pattern (CVVCVCV). Same shape at a glance is often the real trap, independent of shared letters.

7 ch
química
7 ch
químico

Why the eye confuses química with químico

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: química is [ˈkimika] while químico is [ˈkimiko]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by a single letter - a in “química” becomes o in “químico”, and the parts of speech differ too (noun vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 12835, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

química is recorded at frequency rank #3,806, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈkimika]. químico is at rank #9,029, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ˈkimiko].

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 12835, this pair ranks #290,069 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of química vs químico

Shared letters: cimquí. Private to "química": a. Private to "químico": o.

"química" · 7 letters · shape CVVCVCV  ·  "químico" · 7 letters · shape CVVCVCV

Frequently Asked Questions

Do "química" and "químico" mean the same thing in a sentence?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "química" is a noun and "químico" an adjective, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "química" or "químico"?
"química" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #3,806 in our Spanish list, against #9,029 for "químico". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

What to do next

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

  • Full dictionary entry for "química" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "químico" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #290,069 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "química" and "químico" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "químico vs quimio". Nearby pair

Confusion rank #290,069 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