Which to use
“ocupado” is an adjective and “ocuparon” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #3,643
- “ocupado” frequency rank
- #13,104
- “ocuparon” frequency rank
- 16747
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | ocupado | ocuparon |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Dicho de una persona, que trabaja mucho. | Tercera persona del plural (ellos, ellas; ustedes, 2.ª persona) del pretérito perfecto simple de indicativo de ocupar. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set ocupado and ocuparon apart are highlighted. They share 6 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: ocupado is [okuˈpað̞o] while ocuparon is [okuˈpaɾõn]. 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 (adjective vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 16747, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
ocupado is recorded at frequency rank #3,643, classified as anadj, pronounced [okuˈpað̞o]. ocuparon is at rank #13,104, tagged as averb, pronounced [okuˈpaɾõn].
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 16747, this pair ranks #274,925 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of ocupado vs ocuparon
Shared letters: acopu. Private to "ocupado": d. Private to "ocuparon": nr.
"ocupado" · 7 letters · shape VCVCVCV · "ocuparon" · 8 letters · shape VCVCVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "ocupado" and "ocuparon" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "ocupado" or "ocuparon"?
Remembering ocupado vs ocuparon
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need an adjective, it's “ocupado”; for a verb, it's “ocuparon”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “ocupado” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable