cacovscataWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#45,790
“caco” frequency rank
#19,658
“cata” frequency rank
65448
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature caco cata
Definition Persona que tiene por costumbre u oficio el apropiarse de cosas que no le pertenecen. Acción o efecto de catar.

Where the spellings diverge

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

4 ch
caco
4 ch
cata

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. caco ([ˈkako]) and cata ([ˈkat̪a]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 65448, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

caco is recorded at frequency rank #45,790, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈkako]. cata is at rank #19,658, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈkat̪a].

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 65448, this pair ranks #42,605 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of caco vs cata

Shared letters: ac. Private to "caco": o. Private to "cata": t.

"caco" · 4 letters · shape CVCV  ·  "cata" · 4 letters · shape CVCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • cacoacco · cacco · caoc · ccaco · ccao
  • catacaat · catta · ccata · ctaa

Frequency comparison

caco#45,790
cata#19,658

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "caco" and "cata" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈkako] versus [ˈkat̪a]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "caco" or "cata"?
"cata" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #19,658 in our Spanish list, against #45,790 for "caco". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering caco vs cata

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 “caco” 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