refrescarvsrefrescoWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: refrescar is a verb, refresco is a noun, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“refrescar” is a verb and “refresco” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#33,310
“refrescar” frequency rank
#14,938
“refresco” frequency rank
48248
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature refrescar refresco
Definition Actualizar una página web o reconfigurar un equipo para que funcione correctamente. Bebida fría o a temperatura ambiente.

Where the spellings diverge

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

9 ch
refrescar
8 ch
refresco

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: refrescar is [refɾesˈkaɾ] while refresco is [reˈfɾesko]. 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 (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 48248, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

refrescar is recorded at frequency rank #33,310, classified as averb, pronounced [refɾesˈkaɾ]. refresco is at rank #14,938, tagged as anoun, pronounced [reˈfɾesko].

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 48248, this pair ranks #115,511 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of refrescar vs refresco

Shared letters: cefrs. Private to "refrescar": a. Private to "refresco": o.

"refrescar" · 9 letters · shape CVCCVCCVC  ·  "refresco" · 8 letters · shape CVCCVCCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • refrescarerfrescar · referscar · reffrescar · refrecsar · refresacr · refrescarr · refresccar · refrescra
  • refrescoerfresco · refersco · reffresco · refrecso · refrescco · refresoc · refressco · refrresco

Frequency comparison

refrescar#33,310
refresco#14,938

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "refrescar" and "refresco" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "refrescar" is a verb and "refresco" a noun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "refrescar" or "refresco"?
"refresco" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #14,938 in our Spanish list, against #33,310 for "refrescar". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering refrescar vs refresco

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “refrescar”; for a noun, it's “refresco”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “refrescar” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list