tratarvstratarseWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#1,228
“tratar” frequency rank
#9,049
“tratarse” frequency rank
10277
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature tratar tratarse
Definition Disponer o hacer uso de alguna cosa. Tratar (uso pronominal de ...)

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set tratar and tratarse apart are highlighted. They share 6 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

6 ch
tratar
8 ch
tratarse

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. tratar ([t̪ɾaˈt̪aɾ]) and tratarse ([t̪ɾaˈt̪aɾse]) 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 2 extra letter(s) - “tratar” sits inside “tratarse”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 10277, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

tratar is recorded at frequency rank #1,228, classified as averb, pronounced [t̪ɾaˈt̪aɾ]. tratarse is at rank #9,049, tagged as averb, pronounced [t̪ɾaˈt̪aɾse].

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 10277, this pair ranks #299,204 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of tratar vs tratarse

Shared letters: art. Private to "tratar": -. Private to "tratarse": es.

"tratar" · 6 letters · shape CCVCVC  ·  "tratarse" · 8 letters · shape CCVCVCCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • tratarrtatar · tartar · traatr · tratarr · tratra · trattar · trratar · trtaar
  • tratarsertatarse · tartarse · traatrse · tratarce · tratares · tratarrse · tratarsse · tratasre

Frequency comparison

tratar#1,228
tratarse#9,049

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "tratar" and "tratarse" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([t̪ɾaˈt̪aɾ] versus [t̪ɾaˈt̪aɾse]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "tratar" or "tratarse"?
"tratar" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #1,228 in our Spanish list, against #9,049 for "tratarse". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering tratar vs tratarse

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 “tratar” 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