taparvstapizWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: tapar is a verb, tapiz is a noun, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“tapar” is a verb and “tapiz” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#11,684
“tapar” frequency rank
#32,426
“tapiz” frequency rank
44110
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature tapar tapiz
Definition Poner algo encima de lo que está abierto y así dejarlo cerrado. Paño grande, tejido de lana o seda, y algunas veces de oro y plata, en el que se copian cuadros de historia, países u otras cosas, y sirve para abrigo y adorno, cubriendo las paredes.

Where the spellings diverge

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

5 ch
tapar
5 ch
tapiz

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: tapar is [t̪aˈpaɾ] while tapiz is [t̪aˈpis]. 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 noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 44110, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

tapar is recorded at frequency rank #11,684, classified as averb, pronounced [t̪aˈpaɾ]. tapiz is at rank #32,426, tagged as anoun, pronounced [t̪aˈpis].

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 44110, this pair ranks #138,852 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of tapar vs tapiz

Shared letters: apt. Private to "tapar": r. Private to "tapiz": iz.

"tapar" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC  ·  "tapiz" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • taparatpar · taapr · taparr · tappar · tapra · tpaar · ttapar
  • tapizatpiz · taipz · tapizz · tappiz · tapzi · tpaiz · ttapiz

Frequency comparison

tapar#11,684
tapiz#32,426

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "tapar" and "tapiz" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "tapar" is a verb and "tapiz" a noun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "tapar" or "tapiz"?
"tapar" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #11,684 in our Spanish list, against #32,426 for "tapiz". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering tapar vs tapiz

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

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