ocuparvsocupóWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#4,270
“ocupar” frequency rank
#8,685
“ocupó” frequency rank
12955
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature ocupar ocupó
Definition Abarcar el espacio disponible de un lugar. Tercera persona del singular (él, ella, ello; usted, 2.ª persona) del pretérito perfecto simple de indicativo de ocupar.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set ocupar and ocupó apart are highlighted. They share 4 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

6 ch
ocupar
5 ch
ocupó

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. ocupar ([okuˈpaɾ]) and ocupó ([okuˈpo]) 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 12955, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

ocupar is recorded at frequency rank #4,270, classified as averb, pronounced [okuˈpaɾ]. ocupó is at rank #8,685, tagged as averb, pronounced [okuˈpo].

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 12955, this pair ranks #289,669 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of ocupar vs ocupó

Shared letters: copu. Private to "ocupar": ar. Private to "ocupó": ó.

"ocupar" · 6 letters · shape VCVCVC  ·  "ocupó" · 5 letters · shape VCVCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • ocuparcoupar · occupar · ocpuar · ocuapr · ocuparr · ocuppar · ocupra · oucpar

Frequency comparison

ocupar#4,270
ocupó#8,685

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "ocupar" and "ocupó" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([okuˈpaɾ] versus [okuˈpo]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "ocupar" or "ocupó"?
"ocupar" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #4,270 in our Spanish list, against #8,685 for "ocupó". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering ocupar vs ocupó

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 “ocupar” 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