Which to use
“recae” is a verb and “recto” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #16,440
- “recae” frequency rank
- #10,058
- “recto” frequency rank
- 26498
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | recae | recto |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Tercera persona del singular (él, ella, ello; usted, 2.ª persona) del presente de indicativo de recaer. | Que tiene la forma que sigue el camino más corto entre dos puntos, sin inclinarse, ni torcerse, ni cambiar de dirección. |
Where the eye mixes recae and recto
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence.
Visual trap between recae and recto
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: recae is [reˈkae] while recto is [ˈrekt̪o]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 26498, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
recae is recorded at frequency rank #16,440, classified as averb, pronounced [reˈkae]. recto is at rank #10,058, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ˈrekt̪o].
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 26498, this pair ranks #231,322 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of recae vs recto
Shared letters: cer. Private to "recae": a. Private to "recto": ot.
"recae" · 5 letters · shape CVCVV · "recto" · 5 letters · shape CVCCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "recae" for "recto" ever safe?
Which is more common, "recae" or "recto"?
After this comparison
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "recae" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "recto" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #231,322 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "recae" and "recto" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "recae vs relaje". 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 #231,322 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.