Which to use
“canse” is a verb and “cate” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #27,131
- “canse” frequency rank
- #38,559
- “cate” frequency rank
- 65690
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | canse | cate |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Primera persona del singular (yo) del presente de subjuntivo de cansar o de cansarse. | Suspenso de un test, examen o asignatura. |
Where the eye mixes canse and cate
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence.
Visual trap between canse and cate
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: canse is [ˈkãnse] while cate is [ˈkat̪e]. 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 (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 65690, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
canse is recorded at frequency rank #27,131, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈkãnse]. cate is at rank #38,559, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈkat̪e].
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 65690, this pair ranks #41,902 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of canse vs cate
Shared letters: ace. Private to "canse": ns. Private to "cate": t.
"canse" · 5 letters · shape CVCCV · "cate" · 4 letters · shape CVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "canse" and "cate" be used interchangeably?
In ordinary Spanish text, does "canse" or "cate" show up more?
What to do next
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "canse" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "cate" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #41,902 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "canse" and "cate" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "cate vs catre". Nearby pair
- Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes
Confusion rank #41,902 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.