capazvscataConfusable pair

Quick tell: capaz is a adjective, cata is a noun, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

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

#908
“capaz” frequency rank
#19,658
“cata” frequency rank
20566
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature capaz cata
Definition Dicho de un recinto o recipiente, de gran volumen. Acción o efecto de catar.

Where the eye mixes capaz and cata

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence.

5 ch
capaz
4 ch
cata

Look-alike desk: capaz vs cata

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: capaz is [kaˈpas] while cata is [ˈkat̪a]. 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 (adjective vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 20566, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

capaz is recorded at frequency rank #908, classified as anadj, pronounced [kaˈpas]. cata is at rank #19,658, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈkat̪a].

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 20566, this pair ranks #258,753 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of capaz vs cata

Shared letters: ac. Private to "capaz": pz. Private to "cata": t.

"capaz" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC  ·  "cata" · 4 letters · shape CVCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • capazacpaz · caapz · capazz · cappaz · capza · ccapaz · cpaaz
  • catacaat · catta · ccata · ctaa

Frequently Asked Questions

Do "capaz" and "cata" mean the same thing in a sentence?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "capaz" is an adjective and "cata" a noun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Frequency check: "capaz" vs "cata" - which ranks higher?
"capaz" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #908 in our Spanish list, against #19,658 for "cata". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

Useful next steps

Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.

  • Full dictionary entry for "capaz" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "cata" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #258,753 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "capaz" and "cata" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "cata vs ceba". 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 #258,753 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list