Which to use
“recta” is a noun and “recto” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #7,910
- “recta” frequency rank
- #10,058
- “recto” frequency rank
- 17968
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | recta | recto |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Entidad geométrica de una sola dimensión compuesta de un conjunto infinito de puntos, y que representa el camino más corto entre un punto y otro. | 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 recta and recto
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence.
Visual trap between recta and recto
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: recta is [ˈrekt̪a] while recto is [ˈrekt̪o]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by a single letter - a in “recta” becomes o in “recto”, and the parts of speech differ too (noun vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 17968, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
recta is recorded at frequency rank #7,910, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈrekt̪a]. 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 17968, this pair ranks #269,895 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of recta vs recto
Shared letters: cert. Private to "recta": a. Private to "recto": o.
"recta" · 5 letters · shape CVCCV · "recto" · 5 letters · shape CVCCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "recta" and "recto" be used interchangeably?
In ordinary Spanish text, does "recta" or "recto" show up more?
After this comparison
Eye-level mix-up between "recta" and "recto" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "recta" 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 #269,895 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "recta" and "recto" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "recto vs rengo". 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 #269,895 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.