rápidovsratioWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: rápido is a adjective, ratio is a noun, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“rápido” is an adjective and “ratio” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#881
“rápido” frequency rank
#19,857
“ratio” frequency rank
20738
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature rápido ratio
Definition Que se mueve a gran velocidad o rapidez. Cociente de dos números o dos magnitudes comparables entre sí, que refleja su proporción.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set rápido and ratio apart are highlighted. They share 3 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

6 ch
rápido
5 ch
ratio

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: rápido is [ˈrapið̞o] while ratio is [ˈrat̪jo]. 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 noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 20738, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

rápido is recorded at frequency rank #881, classified as anadj, pronounced [ˈrapið̞o]. ratio is at rank #19,857, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈrat̪jo].

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 20738, this pair ranks #258,010 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of rápido vs ratio

Shared letters: ior. Private to "rápido": dpá. Private to "ratio": at.

"rápido" · 6 letters · shape CVCVCV  ·  "ratio" · 5 letters · shape CVCVV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • ratioartio · raito · ratoi · rratio · rtaio

Frequency comparison

rápido#881
ratio#19,857

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "rápido" and "ratio" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "rápido" is an adjective and "ratio" a noun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "rápido" or "ratio"?
"rápido" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #881 in our Spanish list, against #19,857 for "ratio". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

Remembering rápido vs ratio

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need an adjective, it's “rápido”; for a noun, it's “ratio”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “rápido” 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