ocupóvsopusoWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#8,685
“ocupó” frequency rank
#15,187
“opuso” frequency rank
23872
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature ocupó opuso
Definition Tercera persona del singular (él, ella, ello; usted, 2.ª persona) del pretérito perfecto simple de indicativo de ocupar. Tercera persona del singular (él, ella, ello; usted, 2.ª persona) del pretérito perfecto simple de indicativo de oponer o de oponerse.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set ocupó and opuso apart are highlighted. They share 2 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

5 ch
ocupó
5 ch
opuso

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. ocupó ([okuˈpo]) and opuso ([oˈpuso]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 3 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 23872, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

ocupó is recorded at frequency rank #8,685, classified as averb, pronounced [okuˈpo]. opuso is at rank #15,187, tagged as averb, pronounced [oˈpuso].

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 23872, this pair ranks #243,775 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of ocupó vs opuso

Shared letters: opu. Private to "ocupó": . Private to "opuso": s.

"ocupó" · 5 letters · shape VCVCV  ·  "opuso" · 5 letters · shape VCVCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • opusooppuso · opsuo · opuos · opusso · oupso · pouso

Frequency comparison

ocupó#8,685
opuso#15,187

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "ocupó" and "opuso" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([okuˈpo] versus [oˈpuso]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "ocupó" or "opuso"?
"ocupó" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #8,685 in our Spanish list, against #15,187 for "opuso". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering ocupó vs opuso

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 “ocupó” 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