optavsoptanWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#24,978
“opta” frequency rank
#25,381
“optan” frequency rank
50359
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature opta optan
Definition Tercera persona del singular (él, ella, ello; usted, 2.ª persona) del presente de indicativo de optar. Tercera persona del plural (ellos, ellas; ustedes, 2.ª persona) del presente de indicativo de optar.

Where the spellings diverge

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

4 ch
opta
5 ch
optan

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. opta ([ˈopt̪a]) and optan ([ˈopt̪ãn]) 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 extra letter(s) - “opta” sits inside “optan”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 50359, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

opta is recorded at frequency rank #24,978, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈopt̪a]. optan is at rank #25,381, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈopt̪ãn].

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 50359, this pair ranks #103,636 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of opta vs optan

Shared letters: aopt. Private to "opta": -. Private to "optan": n.

"opta" · 4 letters · shape VCCV  ·  "optan" · 5 letters · shape VCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • optaopat · oppta · optta · otpa · pota
  • optanopatn · opptan · optann · optna · opttan · otpan · potan

Frequency comparison

opta#24,978
optan#25,381

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "opta" and "optan" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈopt̪a] versus [ˈopt̪ãn]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "opta" or "optan"?
"opta" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #24,978 in our Spanish list, against #25,381 for "optan". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering opta vs optan

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 “opta” 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