caretasvscarterasWhich spelling fits?

Which to use

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

#24,415
“caretas” frequency rank
#19,336
“carteras” frequency rank
43751
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature caretas carteras
Definition Forma del plural de careta. Forma del plural de cartera.

Where the eye mixes caretas and carteras

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence. caretas runs 7 letters (CVCVCVC) against carteras's 8 (CVCCVCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.

7 ch
caretas
8 ch
carteras

Visual trap between caretas and carteras

A purely visual mix-up. caretas ([kaˈɾet̪as]) and carteras ([kaɾˈt̪eɾas]) 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 43751, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

caretas is recorded at frequency rank #24,415, classified as anoun, pronounced [kaˈɾet̪as]. carteras is at rank #19,336, tagged as anoun, pronounced [kaɾˈt̪eɾas].

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 43751, this pair ranks #140,896 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of caretas vs carteras

Shared letters: acerst. Private to "caretas": -. Private to "carteras": -.

"caretas" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCVC  ·  "carteras" · 8 letters · shape CVCCVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • caretas ← acretas · caertas · careats · caretass · caretsa · carettas · carteas · ccaretas
  • carteras ← acrteras · caretras · carrteras · cartears · carterass · carterras · cartersa · cartreas

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "caretas" and "carteras" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([kaˈɾet̪as] versus [kaɾˈt̪eɾas]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "caretas" or "carteras"?
"carteras" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #19,336 in our Spanish list, against #24,415 for "caretas". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

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 "caretas" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "carteras" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #140,896 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "caretas" and "carteras" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "cajeta vs caretas". 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 #140,896 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