abordarvsacordarWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#6,853
“abordar” frequency rank
#6,744
“acordar” frequency rank
13597
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature abordar acordar
Definition Tocar una embarcación con otra, o con un muelle o embarcadero. Adoptar en común una resolución varias personas, deliberando previamente acerca del asunto.

Where the spellings diverge

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

7 ch
abordar
7 ch
acordar

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. abordar ([aβ̞oɾˈð̞aɾ]) and acordar ([akoɾˈð̞aɾ]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they differ by a single letter - b in “abordar” becomes c in “acordar”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 13597, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

abordar is recorded at frequency rank #6,853, classified as averb, pronounced [aβ̞oɾˈð̞aɾ]. acordar is at rank #6,744, tagged as averb, pronounced [akoɾˈð̞aɾ].

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 13597, this pair ranks #287,252 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of abordar vs acordar

Shared letters: ador. Private to "abordar": b. Private to "acordar": c.

"abordar" · 7 letters · shape VCVCCVC  ·  "acordar" · 7 letters · shape VCVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • abordarabbordar · abodrar · aboradr · abordarr · aborddar · abordra · aborrdar · abrodar
  • acordaraccordar · acodrar · acoradr · acordarr · acorddar · acordra · acorrdar · acrodar

Frequency comparison

abordar#6,853
acordar#6,744

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "abordar" and "acordar" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([aβ̞oɾˈð̞aɾ] versus [akoɾˈð̞aɾ]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "abordar" or "acordar"?
"acordar" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #6,744 in our Spanish list, against #6,853 for "abordar". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering abordar vs acordar

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 “abordar” 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