Which to use
“cate” and “clase” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #38,559
- “cate” frequency rank
- #397
- “clase” frequency rank
- 38956
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | cate | clase |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Suspenso de un test, examen o asignatura. | Marca o tipo, a menudo asociado con “modelo”. |
Where the eye mixes cate and clase
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses cate with clase
A purely visual mix-up. cate ([ˈkat̪e]) and clase ([ˈklase]) 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 38956, 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]. clase is at rank #397, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈklase].
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 38956, this pair ranks #167,190 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of cate vs clase
Shared letters: ace. Private to "cate": t. Private to "clase": ls.
"cate" · 4 letters · shape CVCV · "clase" · 5 letters · shape CCVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "cate" for "clase" ever safe?
Which is more common, "cate" or "clase"?
After this comparison
Eye-level mix-up between "cate" and "clase" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "cate" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "clase" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #167,190 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "cate" and "clase" 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 #167,190 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.