topadovstópicoWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: topado is a verb, tópico is an adjective, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

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

#30,282
“topado” frequency rank
#19,001
“tópico” frequency rank
49283
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature topado tópico
Definition Participio de topar. Se aplica a la opinión, idea o expresión que se usa y repite con mucha frecuencia, y no resulta original

Where the spellings diverge

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

6 ch
topado
6 ch
tópico

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: topado is [t̪oˈpað̞o] while tópico is [ˈt̪opiko]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 3 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 49283, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

topado is recorded at frequency rank #30,282, classified as averb, pronounced [t̪oˈpað̞o]. tópico is at rank #19,001, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ˈt̪opiko].

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 49283, this pair ranks #109,706 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of topado vs tópico

Shared letters: opt. Private to "topado": ad. Private to "tópico": ció.

"topado" · 6 letters · shape CVCVCV  ·  "tópico" · 6 letters · shape CVCVCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • topadotoapdo · topaddo · topaod · topdao · toppado · tpoado · ttopado

Frequency comparison

topado#30,282
tópico#19,001

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "topado" and "tópico" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "topado" is a verb and "tópico" an adjective, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "topado" or "tópico"?
"tópico" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #19,001 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 topado vs tópico

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

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