abogarvsapoyarWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#40,094
“abogar” frequency rank
#2,007
“apoyar” frequency rank
42101
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature abogar apoyar
Definition Defender y dar consejo a alguien que es objeto de un juicio o pleito legal. Dicho de un bebé: tomar la leche de la teta.

Where the spellings diverge

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

6 ch
abogar
6 ch
apoyar

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. abogar ([aβ̞oˈɣ̞aɾ]) and apoyar ([apoˈʝaɾ]) 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 42101, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

abogar is recorded at frequency rank #40,094, classified as averb, pronounced [aβ̞oˈɣ̞aɾ]. apoyar is at rank #2,007, tagged as averb, pronounced [apoˈʝaɾ].

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 42101, this pair ranks #150,096 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of abogar vs apoyar

Shared letters: aor. Private to "abogar": bg. Private to "apoyar": py.

"abogar" · 6 letters · shape VCVCVC  ·  "apoyar" · 6 letters · shape VCVVVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • abogarabbogar · abgoar · aboagr · abogarr · aboggar · abogra · aobgar · avogar
  • apoyaraopyar · apoayr · apoyarr · apoyra · apoyyar · appoyar · apyoar · paoyar

Frequency comparison

abogar#40,094
apoyar#2,007

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "abogar" and "apoyar" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([aβ̞oˈɣ̞aɾ] versus [apoˈʝaɾ]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "abogar" or "apoyar"?
"apoyar" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #2,007 in our Spanish list, against #40,094 for "abogar". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

Remembering abogar vs apoyar

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 “abogar” 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