maltratavsmaltratarWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#40,384
“maltrata” frequency rank
#34,205
“maltratar” frequency rank
74589
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature maltrata maltratar
Definition Tercera persona del singular (él, ella, ello; usted, 2.ª persona) del presente de indicativo de maltratar o de maltratarse. Tratar mal de palabra u obra.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set maltrata and maltratar apart are highlighted. They share 8 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

8 ch
maltrata
9 ch
maltratar

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. maltrata ([mal̪ˈt̪ɾat̪a]) and maltratar ([mal̪t̪ɾaˈt̪aɾ]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they differ by 1 extra letter(s) - “maltrata” sits inside “maltratar”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 74589, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

maltrata is recorded at frequency rank #40,384, classified as averb, pronounced [mal̪ˈt̪ɾat̪a]. maltratar is at rank #34,205, tagged as averb, pronounced [mal̪t̪ɾaˈt̪aɾ].

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 74589, this pair ranks #21,043 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of maltrata vs maltratar

Shared letters: almrt. Private to "maltrata": -. Private to "maltratar": -.

"maltrata" · 8 letters · shape CVCCCVCV  ·  "maltratar" · 9 letters · shape CVCCCVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • maltrataamltrata · malltrata · malrtata · maltarta · maltraat · maltratta · maltrrata · maltrtaa
  • maltrataramltratar · malltratar · malrtatar · maltartar · maltraatr · maltratarr · maltratra · maltrattar

Frequency comparison

maltrata#40,384
maltratar#34,205

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "maltrata" and "maltratar" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([mal̪ˈt̪ɾat̪a] versus [mal̪t̪ɾaˈt̪aɾ]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "maltrata" or "maltratar"?
"maltratar" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #34,205 in our Spanish list, against #40,384 for "maltrata". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering maltrata vs maltratar

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 “maltrata” 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