atacavsatarWhich spelling fits?

Which to use

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

#6,617
“ataca” frequency rank
#21,564
“atar” frequency rank
28181
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature ataca atar
Definition Tercera persona del singular (él, ella, ello; usted, 2.ª persona) del presente de indicativo de atacar. Utilizar ligaduras o nudos para que algo quede sujeto o inmóvil.

Where the eye mixes ataca and atar

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence.

5 ch
ataca
4 ch
atar

Look-alike desk: ataca vs atar

A purely visual mix-up. ataca ([aˈt̪aka]) and atar ([aˈt̪aɾ]) 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 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 28181, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

ataca is recorded at frequency rank #6,617, classified as averb, pronounced [aˈt̪aka]. atar is at rank #21,564, tagged as averb, pronounced [aˈt̪aɾ].

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 28181, this pair ranks #223,229 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of ataca vs atar

Shared letters: at. Private to "ataca": c. Private to "atar": r.

"ataca" · 5 letters · shape VCVCV  ·  "atar" · 4 letters · shape VCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • atacaaatca · ataac · atacca · atcaa · attaca · taaca
  • ataraatr · atarr · attar

Frequently Asked Questions

Is swapping "ataca" for "atar" ever safe?
No. They are said differently ([aˈt̪aka] versus [aˈt̪aɾ]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "ataca" or "atar"?
"ataca" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #6,617 in our Spanish list, against #21,564 for "atar". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

After this comparison

Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.

  • Full dictionary entry for "ataca" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "atar" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #223,229 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "ataca" and "atar" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "atar vs ataron". 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 #223,229 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