maltratar

[mal̪t̪ɾaˈt̪aɾ]

/[mal̪t̪ɾaˈt̪aɾ]/ verb

The verdict

“maltratar” is a moderately-common Spanish word, ranked #34,205 in Spanish word frequency and used as a verb.

#34,205
frequency rank, Spanish
9
letters
14
tracked misspellings
6
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Tratar mal de palabra u obra.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

maltratar vs maltrato
78% similar
maltratar vs maltratos
78% similar
maltratar vs maltrata
89% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for maltratar
PropertyValue
Headwordmaltratar
LanguageSpanish
Part of speechVerb
IPA[mal̪t̪ɾaˈt̪aɾ]
Letters9
Frequency rank#34,205
Misspellings tracked14
Confusable pairs6
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “maltratar” sits in Spanish frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right). maltratar lands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The Spanish entry for maltratar is 9 letters long, classified as a verb, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as [mal̪t̪ɾaˈt̪aɾ]. Corpus data places it at rank #34,205 in overall Spanish word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 2 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 14 likely wrong-spelling variants for maltratar, with forms such as "amltratar", "malltratar", and "malrtatar". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 6 confusable-pair relationships, "maltrato", "maltratos", "maltrata", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

This headword's origin isn't recorded in our source data, so any spelling logic here comes from how the word's sounds map to letters, not a documented origin story. The correct Spanish form is maltratar, spelled M-A-L-T-R-A-T-A-R.

Definition

  1. 1
    Tratar mal de palabra u obra.
  2. 2
    Hacer daño a alguien o algo. Echarlo a perder.

This word in other languages

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: amltratar,malltratar,malrtatar,maltartar,maltraatr,maltratarr,maltratra,maltrattar,maltrratar,maltrtaar,malttratar,matlratar,mlatratar,mmaltratar

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of maltratar - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

amltratar2malltratar1malrtatar2maltartar2maltraatr2maltratarr1maltratra2maltrattar1
Edit distance from "maltratar"

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 Spanish corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "maltratar"?
"maltratar" is spelled M-A-L-T-R-A-T-A-R. The IPA pronunciation is [mal̪t̪ɾaˈt̪aɾ].
What does "maltratar" mean?
As a verb, "maltratar" means: Tratar mal de palabra u obra.
What words are commonly confused with "maltratar"?
"maltratar" is commonly confused with "maltrato", "maltratos", "maltrata". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "maltratar"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "maltratar" is [mal̪t̪ɾaˈt̪aɾ]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "maltratar" come from?
"maltratar" is a Spanish word. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for this and other words across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German on PlainSpell.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Using “maltratar”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct Spanish spelling is M-A-L-T-R-A-T-A-R - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as [mal̪t̪ɾaˈt̪aɾ] (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “maltrato” - see the side-by-side comparison. maltratar vs maltrato
  • Browse more Spanish words and confusable pairs in the same reference. Spanish words
Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list