Which to use
“faltar” is a verb and “falto” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #7,023
- “faltar” frequency rank
- #11,580
- “falto” frequency rank
- 18603
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | faltar | falto |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | No estar en un sitio. | carente. |
Where the eye mixes faltar and falto
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence.
Look-alike desk: faltar vs falto
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: faltar is [fal̪ˈt̪aɾ] while falto is [ˈfal̪t̪o]. 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 (verb vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 18603, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
faltar is recorded at frequency rank #7,023, classified as averb, pronounced [fal̪ˈt̪aɾ]. falto is at rank #11,580, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ˈfal̪t̪o].
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 18603, this pair ranks #267,216 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of faltar vs falto
Shared letters: aflt. Private to "faltar": r. Private to "falto": o.
"faltar" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC · "falto" · 5 letters · shape CVCCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "faltar" and "falto" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "faltar" or "falto"?
After this comparison
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "faltar" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "falto" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #267,216 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "faltar" and "falto" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "facho vs falto". 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 #267,216 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.