Which to use
“catar” and “cavar” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #33,482
- “catar” frequency rank
- #28,673
- “cavar” frequency rank
- 62155
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | catar | cavar |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Probar algo con el sentido del gusto, especialmente los alimentos. | Retirar la tierra para hacer un hoyo o una excavación. |
Where the eye mixes catar and cavar
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence. catar and cavar follow the identical consonant-vowel pattern (CVCVC). Same shape at a glance is often the real trap, independent of shared letters.
Look-alike desk: catar vs cavar
A purely visual mix-up. catar ([kaˈt̪aɾ]) and cavar ([kaˈβ̞aɾ]) 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 a single letter - t in “catar” becomes v in “cavar”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 62155, 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]. cavar is at rank #28,673, tagged as averb, pronounced [kaˈβ̞aɾ].
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 62155, this pair ranks #52,963 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of catar vs cavar
Shared letters: acr. Private to "catar": t. Private to "cavar": v.
"catar" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC · "cavar" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "catar" for "cavar" ever safe?
Frequency check: "catar" vs "cavar" - which ranks higher?
After this comparison
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 "cavar" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #52,963 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "catar" and "cavar" 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 #52,963 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.