arcovsáticoWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: arco is a noun, ático is an adjective, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“arco” is a noun and “ático” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#3,609
“arco” frequency rank
#18,421
“ático” frequency rank
22030
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature arco ático
Definition Arma elaborada a partir de una barra material elástico amarrada por ambos extremos a una cuerda la cual se utiliza para impulsar flechas. Originario, relativo a, o propio de Ática, en Grecia

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set arco and ático apart are highlighted. They share 2 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

4 ch
arco
5 ch
ático

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: arco is [ˈaɾko] while ático is [ˈat̪iko]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (noun vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 22030, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

arco is recorded at frequency rank #3,609, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈaɾko]. ático is at rank #18,421, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ˈat̪iko].

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 22030, this pair ranks #252,259 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of arco vs ático

Shared letters: co. Private to "arco": ar. Private to "ático": itá.

"arco" · 4 letters · shape VCCV  ·  "ático" · 5 letters · shape VCVCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • arcoarcco · aroc · arrco · raco

Frequency comparison

arco#3,609
ático#18,421

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "arco" and "ático" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "arco" is a noun and "ático" an adjective, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "arco" or "ático"?
"arco" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #3,609 in our Spanish list, against #18,421 for "ático". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering arco vs ático

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

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