ataquevsataquesWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#1,051
“ataque” frequency rank
#2,379
“ataques” frequency rank
3430
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature ataque ataques
Definition Acción de atacar, acometer al enemigo. Forma del plural de ataque.

Where the eye mixes ataque and ataques

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence.

6 ch
ataque
7 ch
ataques

Why the eye confuses ataque with ataques

A purely visual mix-up. ataque ([aˈt̪ake]) and ataques ([aˈt̪akes]) 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 extra letter(s) - “ataque” sits inside “ataques”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 3430, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

ataque is recorded at frequency rank #1,051, classified as anoun, pronounced [aˈt̪ake]. ataques is at rank #2,379, tagged as anoun, pronounced [aˈt̪akes].

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 3430, this pair ranks #318,322 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of ataque vs ataques

Shared letters: aeqtu. Private to "ataque": -. Private to "ataques": s.

"ataque" · 6 letters · shape VCVCVV  ·  "ataques" · 7 letters · shape VCVCVVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • ataqueaatque · ataqeu · ataqque · atauqe · atqaue · attaque · taaque
  • ataquesaatques · ataqeus · ataqques · ataquess · ataquse · atauqes · atqaues · attaques

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "ataque" and "ataques" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([aˈt̪ake] versus [aˈt̪akes]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Frequency check: "ataque" vs "ataques" - which ranks higher?
"ataque" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #1,051 in our Spanish list, against #2,379 for "ataques". 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 "ataque" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "ataques" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #318,322 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "ataque" and "ataques" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "atañe vs ataque". 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 #318,322 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