tajovstejoWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#15,504
“tajo” frequency rank
#46,836
“tejo” frequency rank
62340
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature tajo tejo
Definition Abertura o herida longitudinal que se hace sobre la piel con un cuchillo, y por extensión, también la que se hace sobre otros cuerpos blandos con otros instrumentos cortantes. Pedazo de piedra plana y redondeada, o trozo de teja que se usa en diversos juegos.

Where the spellings diverge

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

4 ch
tajo
4 ch
tejo

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. tajo ([ˈt̪axo]) and tejo ([ˈt̪exo]) 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 a single letter - a in “tajo” becomes e in “tejo”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 62340, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

tajo is recorded at frequency rank #15,504, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈt̪axo]. tejo is at rank #46,836, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈt̪exo].

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 62340, this pair ranks #52,366 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of tajo vs tejo

Shared letters: jot. Private to "tajo": a. Private to "tejo": e.

"tajo" · 4 letters · shape CVCV  ·  "tejo" · 4 letters · shape CVCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • tajoatjo · tajjo · taoj · tjao · ttajo
  • tejoetjo · tejjo · teoj · tjeo · ttejo

Frequency comparison

tajo#15,504
tejo#46,836

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "tajo" and "tejo" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈt̪axo] versus [ˈt̪exo]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "tajo" or "tejo"?
"tajo" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #15,504 in our Spanish list, against #46,836 for "tejo". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering tajo vs tejo

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “tajo” 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