cortarvscortarlaWhat's the difference?

Which to use

“cortar” and “cortarla” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#3,472
“cortar” frequency rank
#49,542
“cortarla” frequency rank
53014
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature cortar cortarla
Definition Separar un objeto en dos partes mediante un cuchillo u otro objeto cortante. Desistir.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set cortar and cortarla apart are highlighted. They share 6 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

6 ch
cortar
8 ch
cortarla

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. cortar ([koɾˈt̪aɾ]) and cortarla ([koɾˈt̪aɾla]) 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 extra letter(s) - “cortar” sits inside “cortarla”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 53014, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

cortar is recorded at frequency rank #3,472, classified as averb, pronounced [koɾˈt̪aɾ]. cortarla is at rank #49,542, tagged as averb, pronounced [koɾˈt̪aɾla].

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 53014, this pair ranks #89,958 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of cortar vs cortarla

Shared letters: acort. Private to "cortar": -. Private to "cortarla": l.

"cortar" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC  ·  "cortarla" · 8 letters · shape CVCCVCCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • cortarccortar · coratr · corrtar · cortarr · cortra · corttar · cotrar · crotar
  • cortarlaccortarla · coratrla · corrtarla · cortalra · cortaral · cortarlla · cortarrla · cortrala

Frequency comparison

cortar#3,472
cortarla#49,542

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "cortar" and "cortarla" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([koɾˈt̪aɾ] versus [koɾˈt̪aɾla]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "cortar" or "cortarla"?
"cortar" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #3,472 in our Spanish list, against #49,542 for "cortarla". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

Remembering cortar vs cortarla

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “cortar” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list