Which to use
“café” is a noun and “caí” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #1,337
- “café” frequency rank
- #11,538
- “caí” frequency rank
- 12875
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | café | caí |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Semilla del fruto del cafeto, rica en el estimulante cafeína, que se emplea tostada y molida para preparar una bebida con estas propiedades que se consume en casi todo el mundo. Es el segundo producto en volumen en el comercio internacional, solo superado por el petróleo. | Primera persona del singular (yo) del pretérito perfecto simple de indicativo de caer o de caerse. |
Where the eye mixes café and caí
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence. café runs 4 letters (CVCV) against caí's 3 (CVV) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Look-alike desk: café vs caí
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: café is [kaˈfe] while caí is [kaˈi]. 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 verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 12875, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
café is recorded at frequency rank #1,337, classified as anoun, pronounced [kaˈfe]. caí is at rank #11,538, tagged as averb, pronounced [kaˈi].
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 12875, this pair ranks #289,942 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of café vs caí
Shared letters: ac. Private to "café": fé. Private to "caí": í.
"café" · 4 letters · shape CVCV · "caí" · 3 letters · shape CVV
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "café" for "caí" ever safe?
In ordinary Spanish text, does "café" or "caí" show up more?
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 "café" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "caí" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #289,942 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "café" and "caí" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "caí vs cuc". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #289,942 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.