maltratanvsmaltratarWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#42,555
“maltratan” frequency rank
#34,205
“maltratar” frequency rank
76760
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature maltratan maltratar
Definition Tercera persona del plural (ellos, ellas; ustedes, 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 maltratan and maltratar apart are highlighted. They share 8 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

9 ch
maltratan
9 ch
maltratar

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. maltratan ([mal̪ˈt̪ɾat̪ãn]) 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 a single letter - n in “maltratan” becomes r in “maltratar”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 76760, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

maltratan is recorded at frequency rank #42,555, classified as averb, pronounced [mal̪ˈt̪ɾat̪ãn]. 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 76760, this pair ranks #17,158 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of maltratan vs maltratar

Shared letters: almrt. Private to "maltratan": n. Private to "maltratar": -.

"maltratan" · 9 letters · shape CVCCCVCVC  ·  "maltratar" · 9 letters · shape CVCCCVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • maltratanamltratan · malltratan · malrtatan · maltartan · maltraatn · maltratann · maltratna · maltrattan
  • maltrataramltratar · malltratar · malrtatar · maltartar · maltraatr · maltratarr · maltratra · maltrattar

Frequency comparison

maltratan#42,555
maltratar#34,205

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "maltratan" and "maltratar" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([mal̪ˈt̪ɾat̪ãn] versus [mal̪t̪ɾaˈt̪aɾ]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "maltratan" or "maltratar"?
"maltratar" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #34,205 in our Spanish list, against #42,555 for "maltratan". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering maltratan 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 “maltratan” 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