reacción vs reducción, What's the Difference?

Which to use

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

#2,267
“reacción” frequency rank: #3,011
“reducción” frequency rank: 5278
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature	reacción	reducción
Definition	Hecho o acción que se opone o resiste a otra, obrando en sentido contrario a ella.	Acción y efecto de reducir de hacer algo más pequeño.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set reacción and reducción apart are highlighted. They share 7 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

8 ch

reacción

9 ch

reducción

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. reacción ([reakˈsjõn]) and reducción ([reð̞ukˈsjõn]) 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 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 5278, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

reacción is recorded at frequency rank #2,267, classified as anoun, pronounced [reakˈsjõn]. reducción is at rank #3,011, tagged as anoun, pronounced [reð̞ukˈsjõn].

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 5278, this pair ranks #314,042 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of reacción vs reducción

Shared letters: ceinró. Private to "reacción": a. Private to "reducción": du.

"reacción" · 8 letters · shape CVVCCVVC · "reducción" · 9 letters · shape CVCVCCVVC

Frequency comparison

reacción#2,267

reducción#3,011

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "reacción" and "reducción" be used interchangeably?

No. They are said differently ([reakˈsjõn] versus [reð̞ukˈsjõn]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.

Which is more common, "reacción" or "reducción"?

"reacción" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #2,267 in our Spanish list, against #3,011 for "reducción". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering reacción vs reducción

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “reacción” entry
Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable