catarvsclavarWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#33,482
“catar” frequency rank
#22,608
“clavar” frequency rank
56090
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature catar clavar
Definition Probar algo con el sentido del gusto, especialmente los alimentos. Introducir un objeto puntiagudo en un cuerpo, mediante presión o golpes.

Where the eye mixes catar and clavar

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence. catar runs 5 letters (CVCVC) against clavar's 6 (CCVCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.

5 ch
catar
6 ch
clavar

Why the eye confuses catar with clavar

A purely visual mix-up. catar ([kaˈt̪aɾ]) and clavar ([klaˈβ̞aɾ]) 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 56090, 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]. clavar is at rank #22,608, tagged as averb, pronounced [klaˈβ̞aɾ].

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 56090, this pair ranks #76,083 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of catar vs clavar

Shared letters: acr. Private to "catar": t. Private to "clavar": lv.

"catar" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC  ·  "clavar" · 6 letters · shape CCVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • catar ← actar · caatr · catarr · cattar · ccatar · ctaar
  • clavar ← calvar · cclavar · claavr · clabar · clavarr · clavra · clavvar · cllavar

Frequently Asked Questions

Do "catar" and "clavar" mean the same thing in a sentence?
No. They are said differently ([kaˈt̪aɾ] versus [klaˈβ̞aɾ]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "catar" or "clavar"?
"clavar" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #22,608 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.

What to do next

Eye-level mix-up between "catar" and "clavar" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.

  • Full dictionary entry for "catar" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "clavar" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #76,083 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "catar" and "clavar" 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 #76,083 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