caladovsclavadoWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: calado is a noun, clavado is an adjective, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“calado” is a noun and “clavado” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#17,887
“calado” frequency rank
#18,186
“clavado” frequency rank
36073
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature calado clavado
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. Guarnecido o armado con clavos.

Where the spellings diverge

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

6 ch
calado
7 ch
clavado

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: calado is [kaˈlað̞o] while clavado is [klaˈβ̞að̞o]. 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 adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 36073, 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]. clavado is at rank #18,186, tagged as anadj, pronounced [klaˈβ̞að̞o].

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 36073, this pair ranks #182,628 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of calado vs clavado

Shared letters: acdlo. Private to "calado": -. Private to "clavado": v.

"calado" · 6 letters · shape CVCVCV  ·  "clavado" · 7 letters · shape CCVCVCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • caladoaclado · caaldo · caladdo · calaod · caldao · ccalado · claado
  • clavadocalvado · cclavado · claavdo · clabado · clavaddo · clavaod · clavdao · clavvado

Frequency comparison

calado#17,887
clavado#18,186

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "calado" and "clavado" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "calado" is a noun and "clavado" an adjective, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "calado" or "clavado"?
"calado" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #17,887 in our Spanish list, against #18,186 for "clavado". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering calado vs clavado

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a noun, it's “calado”; for an adjective, it's “clavado”.
  • 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