Which to use
“cuarenta” is a num and “cuarentena” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #4,493
- “cuarenta” frequency rank
- #13,218
- “cuarentena” frequency rank
- 17711
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | cuarenta | cuarentena |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Cuatro veces diez (4 x 10). | Acción de aislar o apartar a personas o animales durante un período de tiempo, para evitar o limitar el riesgo de que extiendan una determinada enfermedad contagiosa. |
Where the eye mixes cuarenta and cuarentena
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 8 letters in sequence.
Look-alike desk: cuarenta vs cuarentena
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: cuarenta is [kwaˈɾẽn̪t̪a] while cuarentena is [kwaɾẽn̪ˈt̪ena]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 2 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (num vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 17711, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
cuarenta is recorded at frequency rank #4,493, classified as anum, pronounced [kwaˈɾẽn̪t̪a]. cuarentena is at rank #13,218, tagged as anoun, pronounced [kwaɾẽn̪ˈt̪ena].
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 17711, this pair ranks #271,020 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of cuarenta vs cuarentena
Shared letters: acenrtu. Private to "cuarenta": -. Private to "cuarentena": -.
"cuarenta" · 8 letters · shape CVVCVCCV · "cuarentena" · 10 letters · shape CVVCVCCVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
- cuarenta ← caurenta · ccuarenta · cuaernta · cuarenat · cuarennta · cuarentta · cuaretna · cuarneta
- cuarentena ← caurentena · ccuarentena · cuaerntena · cuarenetna · cuarenntena · cuarentean · cuarentenna · cuarentnea
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "cuarenta" for "cuarentena" ever safe?
In ordinary Spanish text, does "cuarenta" or "cuarentena" show up more?
What to do next
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "cuarenta" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "cuarentena" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #271,020 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "cuarenta" and "cuarentena" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "cuarenta vs current". 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 #271,020 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.