catarvscausarWhich spelling fits?

Which to use

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

#33,482
“catar” frequency rank
#4,308
“causar” frequency rank
37790
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature catar causar
Definition Probar algo con el sentido del gusto, especialmente los alimentos. Que produce la causa su efecto.

Where the eye mixes catar and causar

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence.

5 ch
catar
6 ch
causar

Visual trap between catar and causar

A purely visual mix-up. catar ([kaˈt̪aɾ]) and causar ([kawˈsaɾ]) 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 37790, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

catar is recorded at frequency rank #33,482, classified as averb, pronounced [kaˈt̪aɾ]. causar is at rank #4,308, tagged as averb, pronounced [kawˈsaɾ].

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 37790, this pair ranks #173,461 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of catar vs causar

Shared letters: acr. Private to "catar": t. Private to "causar": su.

"catar" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC  ·  "causar" · 6 letters · shape CVVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • cataractar · caatr · catarr · cattar · ccatar · ctaar
  • causarcasuar · cauasr · causarr · causra · caussar · ccausar · cuasar

Frequently Asked Questions

Do "catar" and "causar" mean the same thing in a sentence?
No. They are said differently ([kaˈt̪aɾ] versus [kawˈsaɾ]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Frequency check: "catar" vs "causar" - which ranks higher?
"causar" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #4,308 in our Spanish list, against #33,482 for "catar". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Useful next steps

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

  • Full dictionary entry for "catar" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "causar" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #173,461 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "catar" and "causar" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "catar 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 #173,461 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