caladovscalcoWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#17,887
“calado” frequency rank
#46,977
“calco” frequency rank
64864
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature calado calco
Definition Labor que se hace con aguja de coser o bordar en alguna tela, sacando o juntando hilos, con que se imita la randa o encaje. Acción y efecto de calcar

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set calado and calco apart are highlighted. They share 4 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

6 ch
calado
5 ch
calco

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. calado ([kaˈlað̞o]) and calco ([ˈkalko]) 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 64864, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

calado is recorded at frequency rank #17,887, classified as anoun, pronounced [kaˈlað̞o]. calco is at rank #46,977, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈkalko].

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 64864, this pair ranks #44,336 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of calado vs calco

Shared letters: aclo. Private to "calado": d. Private to "calco": -.

"calado" · 6 letters · shape CVCVCV  ·  "calco" · 5 letters · shape CVCCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • caladoaclado · caaldo · caladdo · calaod · caldao · ccalado · claado
  • calcoaclco · caclo · calcco · callco · caloc · ccalco · claco

Frequency comparison

calado#17,887
calco#46,977

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "calado" and "calco" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([kaˈlað̞o] versus [ˈkalko]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "calado" or "calco"?
"calado" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #17,887 in our Spanish list, against #46,977 for "calco". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering calado vs calco

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 “calado” 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