matadovsmatanWhich spelling fits?

Which to use

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

#7,192
“matado” frequency rank
#4,920
“matan” frequency rank
12112
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature matado matan
Definition Participio de matar o de matarse. Tercera persona del plural (ellos, ellas; ustedes, 2.ª persona) del presente de indicativo de matar o de matarse.

Where the eye mixes matado and matan

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence.

6 ch
matado
5 ch
matan

Why the eye confuses matado with matan

A purely visual mix-up. matado ([maˈt̪að̞o]) and matan ([ˈmat̪ãn]) 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 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 12112, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

matado is recorded at frequency rank #7,192, classified as averb, pronounced [maˈt̪að̞o]. matan is at rank #4,920, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈmat̪ãn].

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 12112, this pair ranks #292,689 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of matado vs matan

Shared letters: amt. Private to "matado": do. Private to "matan": n.

"matado" · 6 letters · shape CVCVCV  ·  "matan" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • matadoamtado · maatdo · mataddo · mataod · matdao · mattado · mmatado · mtaado
  • matanamtan · maatn · matann · matna · mattan · mmatan · mtaan

Frequently Asked Questions

Is swapping "matado" for "matan" ever safe?
No. They are said differently ([maˈt̪að̞o] versus [ˈmat̪ãn]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "matado" or "matan"?
"matan" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #4,920 in our Spanish list, against #7,192 for "matado". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

After this comparison

Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.

  • Full dictionary entry for "matado" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "matan" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #292,689 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "matado" and "matan" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "matan vs math". 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 #292,689 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list