atacadovsatacoWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#7,666
“atacado” frequency rank
#40,141
“ataco” frequency rank
47807
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature atacado ataco
Definition Participio de atacar. Primera persona del singular (yo) del presente de indicativo de atacar.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set atacado and ataco apart are highlighted. They share 5 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

7 ch
atacado
5 ch
ataco

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. atacado ([at̪aˈkað̞o]) and ataco ([aˈt̪ako]) 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 2 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 47807, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

atacado is recorded at frequency rank #7,666, classified as averb, pronounced [at̪aˈkað̞o]. 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 47807, this pair ranks #117,983 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of atacado vs ataco

Shared letters: acot. Private to "atacado": d. Private to "ataco": -.

"atacado" · 7 letters · shape VCVCVCV  ·  "ataco" · 5 letters · shape VCVCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • atacadoaatcado · ataacdo · atacaddo · atacaod · ataccado · atacdao · atcaado · attacado
  • atacoaatco · atacco · ataoc · atcao · attaco · taaco

Frequency comparison

atacado#7,666
ataco#40,141

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "atacado" and "ataco" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([at̪aˈkað̞o] versus [aˈt̪ako]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "atacado" or "ataco"?
"atacado" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #7,666 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 atacado vs ataco

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 “atacado” 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