Which to use
“cortar” and “corten” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #3,472
- “cortar” frequency rank
- #20,626
- “corten” frequency rank
- 24098
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | cortar | corten |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Separar un objeto en dos partes mediante un cuchillo u otro objeto cortante. | Tercera persona del plural (ellos, ellas; ustedes, 2.ª persona) del presente de subjuntivo de cortar o de cortarse. |
Where the eye mixes cortar and corten
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence. cortar and corten follow the identical consonant-vowel pattern (CVCCVC). Same shape at a glance is often the real trap, independent of shared letters.
Why the eye confuses cortar with corten
A purely visual mix-up. cortar ([koɾˈt̪aɾ]) and corten ([ˈkoɾt̪ẽn]) 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 24098, 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]. corten is at rank #20,626, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈkoɾt̪ẽn].
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 24098, this pair ranks #242,726 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of cortar vs corten
Shared letters: cort. Private to "cortar": a. Private to "corten": en.
"cortar" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC · "corten" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "cortar" and "corten" mean the same thing in a sentence?
In ordinary Spanish text, does "cortar" or "corten" show up more?
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 "cortar" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "corten" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #242,726 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "cortar" and "corten" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "cordel vs corten". 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 #242,726 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.