Which to use
“derrota” is a noun and “derrotar” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #3,477
- “derrota” frequency rank
- #9,622
- “derrotar” frequency rank
- 13099
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | derrota | derrotar |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Acción y efecto de derrotar o ser derrotado. | Disipar, romper, destrozar hacienda, muebles o vestidos. |
Where the eye mixes derrota and derrotar
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence. derrota runs 7 letters (CVCCVCV) against derrotar's 8 (CVCCVCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Look-alike desk: derrota vs derrotar
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: derrota is [d̪eˈrot̪a] while derrotar is [d̪eroˈt̪aɾ]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 extra letter(s) - “derrota” sits inside “derrotar”, and the parts of speech differ too (noun vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 13099, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
derrota is recorded at frequency rank #3,477, classified as anoun, pronounced [d̪eˈrot̪a]. derrotar is at rank #9,622, tagged as averb, pronounced [d̪eroˈt̪aɾ].
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 13099, this pair ranks #289,150 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of derrota vs derrotar
Shared letters: adeort. Private to "derrota": -. Private to "derrotar": -.
"derrota" · 7 letters · shape CVCCVCV · "derrotar" · 8 letters · shape CVCCVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "derrota" and "derrotar" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Which is more common, "derrota" or "derrotar"?
After this comparison
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "derrota" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "derrotar" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #289,150 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "derrota" and "derrotar" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "denotar vs derrotar". 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 #289,150 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.