cataratavscataratasWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#29,531
“catarata” frequency rank
#16,286
“cataratas” frequency rank
45817
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature catarata cataratas
Definition Opacificación total o parcial del cristalino del ojo. Forma del plural de catarata.

Where the eye mixes catarata and cataratas

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 8 letters in sequence. catarata runs 8 letters (CVCVCVCV) against cataratas's 9 (CVCVCVCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.

8 ch
catarata
9 ch
cataratas

Visual trap between catarata and cataratas

A purely visual mix-up. catarata ([kat̪aˈɾat̪a]) and cataratas ([kat̪aˈɾat̪as]) 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 extra letter(s) - “catarata” sits inside “cataratas”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 45817, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

catarata is recorded at frequency rank #29,531, classified as anoun, pronounced [kat̪aˈɾat̪a]. cataratas is at rank #16,286, tagged as anoun, pronounced [kat̪aˈɾat̪as].

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 45817, this pair ranks #129,282 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of catarata vs cataratas

Shared letters: acrt. Private to "catarata": -. Private to "cataratas": s.

"catarata" · 8 letters · shape CVCVCVCV  ·  "cataratas" · 9 letters · shape CVCVCVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • catarataactarata · caatrata · cataarta · cataraat · cataratta · catarrata · catartaa · catraata
  • cataratasactaratas · caatratas · cataartas · cataraats · cataratass · cataratsa · catarattas · catarratas

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "catarata" and "cataratas" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([kat̪aˈɾat̪a] versus [kat̪aˈɾat̪as]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
In ordinary Spanish text, does "catarata" or "cataratas" show up more?
"cataratas" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #16,286 in our Spanish list, against #29,531 for "catarata". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

After this comparison

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

  • Full dictionary entry for "catarata" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "cataratas" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #129,282 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "catarata" and "cataratas" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "catarata vs Catarina". 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 #129,282 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