Which to use
“despacio” is an adverb and “destaco” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #8,941
- “despacio” frequency rank
- #38,642
- “destaco” frequency rank
- 47583
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | despacio | destaco |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Que procede lentamente. | Primera persona del singular (yo) del presente de indicativo de destacar. |
Where the eye mixes despacio and destaco
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence. despacio runs 8 letters (CVCCVCVV) against destaco's 7 (CVCCVCV) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses despacio with destaco
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: despacio is [d̪esˈpasjo] while destaco is [d̪esˈt̪ako]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (adverb vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 47583, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
despacio is recorded at frequency rank #8,941, classified as anadv, pronounced [d̪esˈpasjo]. destaco is at rank #38,642, tagged as averb, pronounced [d̪esˈt̪ako].
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 47583, this pair ranks #119,255 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of despacio vs destaco
Shared letters: acdeos. Private to "despacio": ip. Private to "destaco": t.
"despacio" · 8 letters · shape CVCCVCVV · "destaco" · 7 letters · shape CVCCVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "despacio" and "destaco" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "despacio" or "destaco"?
Useful next steps
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "despacio" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "destaco" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #119,255 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "despacio" and "destaco" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "destaco vs destapa". 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 #119,255 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.