catarvschataWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: catar is a verb, chata is an adjective, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“catar” is a verb and “chata” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#33,482
“catar” frequency rank
#30,806
“chata” frequency rank
64288
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature catar chata
Definition Probar algo con el sentido del gusto, especialmente los alimentos. Forma del femenino singular de chato.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set catar and chata apart are highlighted. They share 4 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

5 ch
catar
5 ch
chata

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: catar is [kaˈt̪aɾ] while chata is [ˈt͡ʃat̪a]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 4 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 64288, 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]. chata is at rank #30,806, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ˈt͡ʃat̪a].

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 64288, this pair ranks #46,044 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of catar vs chata

Shared letters: act. Private to "catar": r. Private to "chata": h.

"catar" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC  ·  "chata" · 5 letters · shape CCVCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • cataractar · caatr · catarr · cattar · ccatar · ctaar
  • chatacahta · cchata · chaat · chatta · chhata · chtaa · hcata

Frequency comparison

catar#33,482
chata#30,806

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "catar" and "chata" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "catar" is a verb and "chata" an adjective, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "catar" or "chata"?
"chata" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #30,806 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.

Remembering catar vs chata

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “catar”; for an adjective, it's “chata”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “catar” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list