Which to use
“tachado” is a verb and “tapado” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #36,317
- “tachado” frequency rank
- #21,509
- “tapado” frequency rank
- 57826
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | tachado | tapado |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Participio de tachar. | Cubierto, oculto, generalmente por algún objeto. |
Where the eye mixes tachado and tapado
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence. tachado runs 7 letters (CVCCVCV) against tapado's 6 (CVCVCV) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses tachado with tapado
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: tachado is [t̪aˈt͡ʃað̞o] while tapado is [t̪aˈpað̞o]. 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 (verb vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 57826, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
tachado is recorded at frequency rank #36,317, classified as averb, pronounced [t̪aˈt͡ʃað̞o]. tapado is at rank #21,509, tagged as anadj, pronounced [t̪aˈpað̞o].
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 57826, this pair ranks #68,919 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of tachado vs tapado
Shared letters: adot. Private to "tachado": ch. Private to "tapado": p.
"tachado" · 7 letters · shape CVCCVCV · "tapado" · 6 letters · shape CVCVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "tachado" for "tapado" ever safe?
Which is more common, "tachado" or "tapado"?
What to do next
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "tachado" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "tapado" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #68,919 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "tachado" and "tapado" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "tacaño vs tachado". 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 #68,919 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.