volcánvsvolcarWhat's the difference?

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

Which to use

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

#7,939
“volcán” frequency rank
#32,924
“volcar” frequency rank
40863
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature volcán volcar
Definition Abertura en la corteza terrestre o de algún planeta a través de la cual pueden salir piroclastos, lava fundida, cenizas y gases. Hacer, con frecuencia por accidente, que algo se caiga o quede en posición inclinada o invertida, de modo que su contenido salga.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set volcán and volcar apart are highlighted. They share 4 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

6 ch
volcán
6 ch
volcar

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: volcán is [bolˈkãn] while volcar is [bolˈkaɾ]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (noun vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 40863, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

volcán is recorded at frequency rank #7,939, classified as anoun, pronounced [bolˈkãn]. volcar is at rank #32,924, tagged as averb, pronounced [bolˈkaɾ].

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 40863, this pair ranks #156,784 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of volcán vs volcar

Shared letters: clov. Private to "volcán": . Private to "volcar": ar.

"volcán" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC  ·  "volcar" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • volcarbolcar · ovlcar · vlocar · voclar · volacr · volcarr · volccar · volcra

Frequency comparison

volcán#7,939
volcar#32,924

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "volcán" and "volcar" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "volcán" is a noun and "volcar" a verb, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "volcán" or "volcar"?
"volcán" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #7,939 in our Spanish list, against #32,924 for "volcar". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering volcán vs volcar

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a noun, it's “volcán”; for a verb, it's “volcar”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “volcán” 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