candadovscausadoWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: candado is a noun, causado is a verb, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“candado” is a noun and “causado” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#19,048
“candado” frequency rank
#5,290
“causado” frequency rank
24338
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature candado causado
Definition Cerradura suelta, encerrada en una caja metálica y que por medio de una armella sirve para cerrar cualquier tipo de puerta batiente o deslizante. Participio de causar.

Where the spellings diverge

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

7 ch
candado
7 ch
causado

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

candado and causado form a confusable pair in the Spanish index, two distinct headwords that are easily confused because they look alike, sound alike, or both. They share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions - close enough that the eye skips over the difference, far enough that meaning fully diverges. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 24338, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

candado is recorded at frequency rank #19,048, classified as anoun, pronounced [kãn̪ˈd̪að̞o]. causado is at rank #5,290, tagged as averb, pronounced [kawˈsað̞o].

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 24338, this pair ranks #241,609 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Frequency comparison

candado#19,048
causado#5,290

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "candado" and "causado" be used interchangeably?
No, "candado" and "causado" have distinct meanings and cannot be swapped without changing the meaning of a sentence. Understanding the specific definition and context for each word is essential for correct usage.

Remembering candado vs causado

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a noun, it's “candado”; for a verb, it's “causado”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “candado” 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