Which to use
“despacho” is a noun and “despacio” is an adverb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #4,072
- “despacho” frequency rank
- #8,941
- “despacio” frequency rank
- 13013
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | despacho | despacio |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Acción o efecto de despachar o de despacharse. | Que procede lentamente. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set despacho and despacio apart are highlighted. They share 7 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: despacho is [d̪esˈpat͡ʃo] while despacio is [d̪esˈpasjo]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by a single letter - h in “despacho” becomes i in “despacio”, and the parts of speech differ too (noun vs adverb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 13013, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
despacho is recorded at frequency rank #4,072, classified as anoun, pronounced [d̪esˈpat͡ʃo]. despacio is at rank #8,941, tagged as anadv, pronounced [d̪esˈpasjo].
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 13013, this pair ranks #289,450 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of despacho vs despacio
Shared letters: acdeops. Private to "despacho": h. Private to "despacio": i.
"despacho" · 8 letters · shape CVCCVCCV · "despacio" · 8 letters · shape CVCCVCVV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "despacho" and "despacio" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "despacho" or "despacio"?
Remembering despacho vs despacio
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a noun, it's “despacho”; for an adverb, it's “despacio”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “despacho” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable