Which to use
“controlar” and “controlo” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #2,202
- “controlar” frequency rank
- #36,491
- “controlo” frequency rank
- 38693
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | controlar | controlo |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Tener el control sobre algo o alguien, ejercer el dominio sobre algo o alguien. | Primera persona del singular (yo) del presente de indicativo de controlar o de controlarse. |
Where the eye mixes controlar and controlo
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence.
Look-alike desk: controlar vs controlo
A purely visual mix-up. controlar ([kõn̪t̪ɾoˈlaɾ]) and controlo ([kõn̪ˈt̪ɾolo]) 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 38693, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
controlar is recorded at frequency rank #2,202, classified as averb, pronounced [kõn̪t̪ɾoˈlaɾ]. controlo is at rank #36,491, tagged as averb, pronounced [kõn̪ˈt̪ɾolo].
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 38693, this pair ranks #168,599 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of controlar vs controlo
Shared letters: clnort. Private to "controlar": a. Private to "controlo": -.
"controlar" · 9 letters · shape CVCCCVCVC · "controlo" · 8 letters · shape CVCCCVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "controlar" for "controlo" ever safe?
Which is more common, "controlar" or "controlo"?
Useful next steps
Eye-level mix-up between "controlar" and "controlo" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "controlar" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "controlo" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #168,599 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "controlar" and "controlo" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "controlen vs controlo". 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 #168,599 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.