utilidadvsutilizaWhat's the difference?

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

Which to use

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

#4,957
“utilidad” frequency rank
#1,966
“utiliza” frequency rank
6923
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature utilidad utiliza
Definition Fruto o interés que se saca de alguna cosa. Tercera persona del singular (él, ella, ello; usted, 2.ª persona) del presente de indicativo de utilizar.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set utilidad and utiliza apart are highlighted. They share 6 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

8 ch
utilidad
7 ch
utiliza

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: utilidad is [ut̪iliˈð̞að̞] while utiliza is [ut̪iˈlisa]. 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 verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 6923, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

utilidad is recorded at frequency rank #4,957, classified as anoun, pronounced [ut̪iliˈð̞að̞]. utiliza is at rank #1,966, tagged as averb, pronounced [ut̪iˈlisa].

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 6923, this pair ranks #309,440 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of utilidad vs utiliza

Shared letters: ailtu. Private to "utilidad": d. Private to "utiliza": z.

"utilidad" · 8 letters · shape VCVCVCVC  ·  "utiliza" · 7 letters · shape VCVCVCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • utilidadtuilidad · uitlidad · utiildad · utildiad · utiliadd · utilidadd · utilidda · utiliddad
  • utilizatuiliza · uitliza · utiilza · utiliaz · utilizza · utilliza · utilzia · utliiza

Frequency comparison

utilidad#4,957
utiliza#1,966

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "utilidad" and "utiliza" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "utilidad" is a noun and "utiliza" a verb, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "utilidad" or "utiliza"?
"utiliza" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #1,966 in our Spanish list, against #4,957 for "utilidad". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering utilidad vs utiliza

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a noun, it's “utilidad”; for a verb, it's “utiliza”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “utilidad” 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 FrequencyWords open word-frequency list