volcóvsvolvíWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#27,820
“volcó” frequency rank
#5,163
“volví” frequency rank
32983
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature volcó volví
Definition Tercera persona del singular (él, ella, ello; usted, 2.ª persona) del pretérito perfecto simple de indicativo de volcar. Primera persona del singular (yo) del pretérito perfecto simple de indicativo de volver o de volverse.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set volcó and volví apart are highlighted. They share 3 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

5 ch
volcó
5 ch
volví

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. volcó ([bolˈko]) and volví ([bolˈβ̞i]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 32983, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

volcó is recorded at frequency rank #27,820, classified as averb, pronounced [bolˈko]. volví is at rank #5,163, tagged as averb, pronounced [bolˈβ̞i].

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 32983, this pair ranks #199,171 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of volcó vs volví

Shared letters: lov. Private to "volcó": . Private to "volví": í.

"volcó" · 5 letters · shape CVCCV  ·  "volví" · 5 letters · shape CVCCV

Frequency comparison

volcó#27,820
volví#5,163

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "volcó" and "volví" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([bolˈko] versus [bolˈβ̞i]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "volcó" or "volví"?
"volví" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #5,163 in our Spanish list, against #27,820 for "volcó". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering volcó vs volví

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 “volcó” 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