Which to use
“efecto” is a noun and “exacto” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #937
- “efecto” frequency rank
- #2,713
- “exacto” frequency rank
- 3650
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | efecto | exacto |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Algo que es producido. | Puntual, fiel y cabal. |
Where the eye mixes efecto and exacto
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses efecto with exacto
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: efecto is [eˈfekt̪o] while exacto is [ekˈsakt̪o]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (noun vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 3650, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
efecto is recorded at frequency rank #937, classified as anoun, pronounced [eˈfekt̪o]. exacto is at rank #2,713, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ekˈsakt̪o].
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 3650, this pair ranks #317,858 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of efecto vs exacto
Shared letters: ceot. Private to "efecto": f. Private to "exacto": ax.
"efecto" · 6 letters · shape VCVCCV · "exacto" · 6 letters · shape VCVCCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "efecto" for "exacto" ever safe?
In ordinary Spanish text, does "efecto" or "exacto" show up more?
What to do next
Eye-level mix-up between "efecto" and "exacto" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "efecto" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "exacto" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #317,858 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "efecto" and "exacto" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "efecto vs efectúe". 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 #317,858 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.