cortarvscortarlaConfusable pair

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 eye mixes cortar and cortarla

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence. cortar runs 6 letters (CVCCVC) against cortarla's 8 (CVCCVCCV) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.

6 ch
cortar
8 ch
cortarla

Why the eye confuses cortar with cortarla

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

  • cortar ← ccortar · coratr · corrtar · cortarr · cortra · corttar · cotrar · crotar
  • cortarla ← ccortarla · coratrla · corrtarla · cortalra · cortaral · cortarlla · cortarrla · cortrala

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.
Frequency check: "cortar" vs "cortarla" - which ranks higher?
"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.

After this comparison

Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.

  • Full dictionary entry for "cortar" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "cortarla" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #89,958 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "cortar" and "cortarla" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "cortaba vs cortarla". 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 #89,958 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list