abajovsatacoWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: abajo is a adverb, ataco is a verb, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“abajo” is an adverb and “ataco” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#906
“abajo” frequency rank
#40,141
“ataco” frequency rank
41047
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature abajo ataco
Definition Hacia un lugar o parte inferior, o en un lugar o parte inferior. Primera persona del singular (yo) del presente de indicativo de atacar.

Where the spellings diverge

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

5 ch
abajo
5 ch
ataco

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: abajo is [aˈβ̞axo] while ataco is [aˈt̪ako]. 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 (adverb vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 41047, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

abajo is recorded at frequency rank #906, classified as anadv, pronounced [aˈβ̞axo]. ataco is at rank #40,141, tagged as averb, pronounced [aˈt̪ako].

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 41047, this pair ranks #155,779 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of abajo vs ataco

Shared letters: ao. Private to "abajo": bj. Private to "ataco": ct.

"abajo" · 5 letters · shape VCVCV  ·  "ataco" · 5 letters · shape VCVCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • abajoaabjo · abajjo · abaoj · abbajo · abjao · avajo · baajo
  • atacoaatco · atacco · ataoc · atcao · attaco · taaco

Frequency comparison

abajo#906
ataco#40,141

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "abajo" and "ataco" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "abajo" is an adverb and "ataco" a verb, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "abajo" or "ataco"?
"abajo" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #906 in our Spanish list, against #40,141 for "ataco". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

Remembering abajo vs ataco

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

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