Which to use
“cave” and “cede” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #34,485
- “cave” frequency rank
- #16,526
- “cede” frequency rank
- 51011
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | cave | cede |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Primera persona del singular (yo) del presente de subjuntivo de cavar. | Tercera persona del singular (él, ella, ello; usted, 2.ª persona) del presente de indicativo de ceder. |
Where the eye mixes cave and cede
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence.
Look-alike desk: cave vs cede
A purely visual mix-up. cave ([ˈkaβ̞e]) and cede ([ˈseð̞e]) 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 51011, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
cave is recorded at frequency rank #34,485, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈkaβ̞e]. cede is at rank #16,526, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈseð̞e].
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 51011, this pair ranks #100,168 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of cave vs cede
Shared letters: ce. Private to "cave": av. Private to "cede": d.
"cave" · 4 letters · shape CVCV · "cede" · 4 letters · shape CVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "cave" for "cede" ever safe?
Frequency check: "cave" vs "cede" - which ranks higher?
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 "cave" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "cede" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #100,168 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "cave" and "cede" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "catre vs cave". 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 #100,168 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.