Which to use
“cate” and “cese” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #38,559
- “cate” frequency rank
- #8,926
- “cese” frequency rank
- 47485
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | cate | cese |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Suspenso de un test, examen o asignatura. | Interrupción, cesación, alto en una actividad. |
Where the eye mixes cate and cese
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses cate with cese
A purely visual mix-up. cate ([ˈkat̪e]) and cese ([ˈsese]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 47485, 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]. cese is at rank #8,926, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈsese].
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 47485, this pair ranks #119,792 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of cate vs cese
Shared letters: ce. Private to "cate": at. Private to "cese": s.
"cate" · 4 letters · shape CVCV · "cese" · 4 letters · shape CVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "cate" for "cese" ever safe?
Which is more common, "cate" or "cese"?
Useful next steps
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 "cese" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #119,792 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "cate" and "cese" 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 #119,792 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.