aceptarvsadaptarConfusable pair

Which to use

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

#1,664
“aceptar” frequency rank
#12,960
“adaptar” frequency rank
14624
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature aceptar adaptar
Definition Dar por bueno, reconocer como correcto. Hacer apto. Modificar algo para que cumpla cierto objetivo, o para que se corresponda con otra cosa.

Where the eye mixes aceptar and adaptar

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence.

7 ch
aceptar
7 ch
adaptar

Why the eye confuses aceptar with adaptar

A purely visual mix-up. aceptar ([asepˈt̪aɾ]) and adaptar ([að̞apˈt̪aɾ]) 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 14624, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

aceptar is recorded at frequency rank #1,664, classified as averb, pronounced [asepˈt̪aɾ]. adaptar is at rank #12,960, tagged as averb, pronounced [að̞apˈt̪aɾ].

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 14624, this pair ranks #283,393 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of aceptar vs adaptar

Shared letters: aprt. Private to "aceptar": ce. Private to "adaptar": d.

"aceptar" · 7 letters · shape VCVCCVC  ·  "adaptar" · 7 letters · shape VCVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • aceptaracceptar · acepatr · acepptar · aceptarr · aceptra · acepttar · acetpar · acpetar
  • adaptaraadptar · adapatr · adapptar · adaptarr · adaptra · adapttar · adatpar · addaptar

Frequently Asked Questions

Do "aceptar" and "adaptar" mean the same thing in a sentence?
No. They are said differently ([asepˈt̪aɾ] versus [að̞apˈt̪aɾ]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "aceptar" or "adaptar"?
"aceptar" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #1,664 in our Spanish list, against #12,960 for "adaptar". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

What to do next

Eye-level mix-up between "aceptar" and "adaptar" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.

  • Full dictionary entry for "aceptar" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "adaptar" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #283,393 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "aceptar" and "adaptar" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "adaptar vs adapten". Nearby pair
  • Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes

Confusion rank #283,393 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list