Which to use
“tocan” and “tomar” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #7,923
- “tocan” frequency rank
- #440
- “tomar” frequency rank
- 8363
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | tocan | tomar |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Tercera persona del plural (ellos, ellas; ustedes, 2.ª persona) del presente de indicativo de tocar. | Coger alguna cosa con la mano. |
Where the eye mixes tocan and tomar
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence.
Visual trap between tocan and tomar
A purely visual mix-up. tocan ([ˈt̪okãn]) and tomar ([t̪oˈmaɾ]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 8363, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
tocan is recorded at frequency rank #7,923, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈt̪okãn]. tomar is at rank #440, tagged as averb, pronounced [t̪oˈmaɾ].
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 8363, this pair ranks #305,212 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of tocan vs tomar
Shared letters: aot. Private to "tocan": cn. Private to "tomar": mr.
"tocan" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC · "tomar" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "tocan" for "tomar" ever safe?
Which is more common, "tocan" or "tomar"?
What to do next
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "tocan" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "tomar" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #305,212 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "tocan" and "tomar" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "tacaño vs tocan". 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 #305,212 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.