aradovsatacoWhat's the difference?

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

Which to use

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

#32,080
“arado” frequency rank
#40,141
“ataco” frequency rank
72221
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature arado ataco
Definition Instrumento agrícola formado básicamente por una pieza afilada o reja y una pieza que permite su tracción por animales o máquinas. Se emplea para abrir surcos en la tierra. Primera persona del singular (yo) del presente de indicativo de atacar.

Where the spellings diverge

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

5 ch
arado
5 ch
ataco

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: arado is [aˈɾað̞o] 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 (noun vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 72221, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

arado is recorded at frequency rank #32,080, classified as anoun, pronounced [aˈɾað̞o]. 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 72221, this pair ranks #25,836 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of arado vs ataco

Shared letters: ao. Private to "arado": dr. Private to "ataco": ct.

"arado" · 5 letters · shape VCVCV  ·  "ataco" · 5 letters · shape VCVCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • aradoaardo · araddo · araod · ardao · arrado · raado
  • atacoaatco · atacco · ataoc · atcao · attaco · taaco

Frequency comparison

arado#32,080
ataco#40,141

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "arado" and "ataco" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "arado" is a noun and "ataco" a verb, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "arado" or "ataco"?
"arado" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #32,080 in our Spanish list, against #40,141 for "ataco". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering arado vs ataco

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a noun, it's “arado”; for a verb, it's “ataco”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “arado” 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 FrequencyWords open word-frequency list