delatavsdesataWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#30,855
“delata” frequency rank
#22,654
“desata” frequency rank
53509
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature delata desata
Definition Tercera persona del singular (él, ella, ello; usted, 2.ª persona) del presente de indicativo de delatar. Tercera persona del singular (él, ella, ello; usted, 2.ª persona) del presente de indicativo de desatar o de desatarse.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set delata and desata apart are highlighted. They share 5 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

6 ch
delata
6 ch
desata

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. delata ([d̪eˈlat̪a]) and desata ([d̪eˈsat̪a]) 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 a single letter - l in “delata” becomes s in “desata”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 53509, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

delata is recorded at frequency rank #30,855, classified as averb, pronounced [d̪eˈlat̪a]. desata is at rank #22,654, tagged as averb, pronounced [d̪eˈsat̪a].

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 53509, this pair ranks #87,529 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of delata vs desata

Shared letters: adet. Private to "delata": l. Private to "desata": s.

"delata" · 6 letters · shape CVCVCV  ·  "desata" · 6 letters · shape CVCVCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • delataddelata · dealta · delaat · delatta · dellata · deltaa · dleata · edlata
  • desataddesata · deasta · desaat · desatta · dessata · destaa · dseata · edsata

Frequency comparison

delata#30,855
desata#22,654

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "delata" and "desata" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([d̪eˈlat̪a] versus [d̪eˈsat̪a]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "delata" or "desata"?
"desata" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #22,654 in our Spanish list, against #30,855 for "delata". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering delata vs desata

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 “delata” 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