packvspadConfusable pair

Which to use

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

#9,510
“pack” frequency rank
#31,908
“pad” frequency rank
41418
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature pack pad
Definition Paquete, envoltorio en el que se vende algún producto. Periférico táctil presente en las notebooks y otros dispositivos portátiles que permite el movimiento de un cursor sobre una interfaz gráfica; funciona como alternativa al mouse.

Where the eye mixes pack and pad

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence.

4 ch
pack
3 ch
pad

Visual trap between pack and pad

A purely visual mix-up. pack ([ˈpak]) and pad ([ˈpað̞]) 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 41418, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

pack is recorded at frequency rank #9,510, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈpak]. pad is at rank #31,908, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈpað̞].

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 41418, this pair ranks #153,744 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of pack vs pad

Shared letters: ap. Private to "pack": ck. Private to "pad": d.

"pack" · 4 letters · shape CVCC  ·  "pad" · 3 letters · shape CVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • packapck · pacck · packk · pakc · pcak · ppack

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "pack" and "pad" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈpak] versus [ˈpað̞]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "pack" or "pad"?
"pack" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #9,510 in our Spanish list, against #31,908 for "pad". 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 "pack" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "pad" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #153,744 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "pack" and "pad" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "pad vs PRC". 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 #153,744 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