Which to use
“quirúrgica” and “quirúrgicas” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #17,797
- “quirúrgica” frequency rank
- #31,516
- “quirúrgicas” frequency rank
- 49313
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | quirúrgica | quirúrgicas |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Forma del femenino de quirúrgico. | Forma del femenino plural de quirúrgico. |
Where the eye mixes quirúrgica and quirúrgicas
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 10 letters in sequence. quirúrgica runs 10 letters (CVVCVCCVCV) against quirúrgicas's 11 (CVVCVCCVCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses quirúrgica with quirúrgicas
A purely visual mix-up. quirúrgica ([kiˈɾuɾxika]) and quirúrgicas ([kiˈɾuɾxikas]) 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 1 extra letter(s) - “quirúrgica” sits inside “quirúrgicas”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 49313, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
quirúrgica is recorded at frequency rank #17,797, classified as anadj, pronounced [kiˈɾuɾxika]. quirúrgicas is at rank #31,516, tagged as anadj, pronounced [kiˈɾuɾxikas].
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 49313, this pair ranks #109,557 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of quirúrgica vs quirúrgicas
Shared letters: acgiqruú. Private to "quirúrgica": -. Private to "quirúrgicas": s.
"quirúrgica" · 10 letters · shape CVVCVCCVCV · "quirúrgicas" · 11 letters · shape CVVCVCCVCVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "quirúrgica" for "quirúrgicas" ever safe?
Which is more common, "quirúrgica" or "quirúrgicas"?
Useful next steps
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "quirúrgica" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "quirúrgicas" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #109,557 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "quirúrgica" and "quirúrgicas" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "quirúrgicas vs quirúrgicos". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #109,557 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.