exactovsexentoWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#2,713
“exacto” frequency rank
#20,363
“exento” frequency rank
23076
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature exacto exento
Definition Puntual, fiel y cabal. Que no está sujeto o sometido a determinada obligación o situación gravosa.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set exacto and exento apart are highlighted. They share 4 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

6 ch
exacto
6 ch
exento

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. exacto ([ekˈsakt̪o]) and exento ([ekˈsẽn̪t̪o]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 23076, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

exacto is recorded at frequency rank #2,713, classified as anadj, pronounced [ekˈsakt̪o]. exento is at rank #20,363, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ekˈsẽn̪t̪o].

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 23076, this pair ranks #247,485 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of exacto vs exento

Shared letters: eotx. Private to "exacto": ac. Private to "exento": n.

"exacto" · 6 letters · shape VCVCCV  ·  "exento" · 6 letters · shape VCVCCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • exactoeaxcto · exaccto · exacot · exactto · exatco · excato · exxacto · xeacto
  • exentoeexnto · exennto · exenot · exentto · exetno · exneto · exxento · xeento

Frequency comparison

exacto#2,713
exento#20,363

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "exacto" and "exento" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ekˈsakt̪o] versus [ekˈsẽn̪t̪o]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "exacto" or "exento"?
"exacto" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #2,713 in our Spanish list, against #20,363 for "exento". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering exacto vs exento

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 “exacto” 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 FrequencyWords open word-frequency list