Which to use
“cate” and “ce” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #38,559
- “cate” frequency rank
- #8,352
- “ce” frequency rank
- 46911
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | cate | ce |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Suspenso de un test, examen o asignatura. | Nombre de la letra c. |
Where the eye mixes cate and ce
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence.
Visual trap between cate and ce
A purely visual mix-up. cate ([ˈkat̪e]) and ce ([ˈse]) 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 2 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 46911, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
cate is recorded at frequency rank #38,559, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈkat̪e]. ce is at rank #8,352, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈse].
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 46911, this pair ranks #123,055 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of cate vs ce
Shared letters: ce. Private to "cate": at. Private to "ce": -.
"cate" · 4 letters · shape CVCV · "ce" · 2 letters · shape CV
Known mistypes of this pair
- cate ← acte · caet · catte · ccate · ctae
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "cate" for "ce" ever safe?
In ordinary Spanish text, does "cate" or "ce" show up more?
What to do next
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "cate" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "ce" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #123,055 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "cate" and "ce" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "cate 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 #123,055 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.