tomadavstopadoWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: tomada is a participle, topado is a verb, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“tomada” is a participle and “topado” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#5,785
“tomada” frequency rank
#30,282
“topado” frequency rank
36067
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature tomada topado
Definition Forma del femenino de tomado, participio de tomar. Participio de topar.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set tomada and topado apart are highlighted. They share 4 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

6 ch
tomada
6 ch
topado

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: tomada is [t̪oˈmað̞a] while topado is [t̪oˈpað̞o]. 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 (participle vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 36067, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

tomada is recorded at frequency rank #5,785, classified as aparticiple, pronounced [t̪oˈmað̞a]. topado is at rank #30,282, tagged as averb, pronounced [t̪oˈpað̞o].

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 36067, this pair ranks #182,667 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of tomada vs topado

Shared letters: adot. Private to "tomada": m. Private to "topado": p.

"tomada" · 6 letters · shape CVCVCV  ·  "topado" · 6 letters · shape CVCVCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • tomadaotmada · tmoada · toamda · tomaad · tomadda · tomdaa · tommada · ttomada
  • topadotoapdo · topaddo · topaod · topdao · toppado · tpoado · ttopado

Frequency comparison

tomada#5,785
topado#30,282

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "tomada" and "topado" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "tomada" is a participle and "topado" a verb, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "tomada" or "topado"?
"tomada" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #5,785 in our Spanish list, against #30,282 for "topado". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering tomada vs topado

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a participle, it's “tomada”; for a verb, it's “topado”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “tomada” 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 FrequencyWords open word-frequency list