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 eye mixes maltrata and maltratar
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 8 letters in sequence. maltrata runs 8 letters (CVCCCVCV) against maltratar's 9 (CVCCCVCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses maltrata with maltratar
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
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "maltrata" and "maltratar" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "maltrata" or "maltratar"?
What to do next
Eye-level mix-up between "maltrata" and "maltratar" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "maltrata" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "maltratar" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #21,043 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "maltrata" and "maltratar" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "maltrata vs maltratan". 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 #21,043 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.