Which to use
“castigar” is a verb and “castigo” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #9,417
- “castigar” frequency rank
- #3,463
- “castigo” frequency rank
- 12880
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | castigar | castigo |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Imponer un castigo al que ha delinquido, infringido una regla o faltado en alguna cosa. | Pena impuesta a una persona por cometer una falta o delito. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set castigar and castigo apart are highlighted. They share 6 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: castigar is [kast̪iˈɣ̞aɾ] while castigo is [kasˈt̪iɣ̞o]. 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 12880, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
castigar is recorded at frequency rank #9,417, classified as averb, pronounced [kast̪iˈɣ̞aɾ]. castigo is at rank #3,463, tagged as anoun, pronounced [kasˈt̪iɣ̞o].
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 12880, this pair ranks #289,926 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of castigar vs castigo
Shared letters: acgist. Private to "castigar": r. Private to "castigo": o.
"castigar" · 8 letters · shape CVCCVCVC · "castigo" · 7 letters · shape CVCCVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "castigar" and "castigo" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "castigar" or "castigo"?
Remembering castigar vs castigo
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “castigar”; for a noun, it's “castigo”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “castigar” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable