abrazarvsaplazarWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#14,043
“abrazar” frequency rank
#31,643
“aplazar” frequency rank
45686
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature abrazar aplazar
Definition Rodear una cosa o a alguien con los brazos. Diferir una acción, con idea de realizarla más adelante.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set abrazar and aplazar apart are highlighted. They share 5 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

7 ch
abrazar
7 ch
aplazar

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. abrazar ([aβ̞ɾaˈsaɾ]) and aplazar ([aplaˈsaɾ]) 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 45686, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

abrazar is recorded at frequency rank #14,043, classified as averb, pronounced [aβ̞ɾaˈsaɾ]. aplazar is at rank #31,643, tagged as averb, pronounced [aplaˈsaɾ].

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 45686, this pair ranks #130,013 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of abrazar vs aplazar

Shared letters: arz. Private to "abrazar": b. Private to "aplazar": lp.

"abrazar" · 7 letters · shape VCCVCVC  ·  "aplazar" · 7 letters · shape VCCVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • abrazarabarzar · abbrazar · abraazr · abrazarr · abrazra · abrazzar · abrrazar · abrzaar
  • aplazaralpazar · apalzar · aplaazr · aplazarr · aplazra · aplazzar · apllazar · aplzaar

Frequency comparison

abrazar#14,043
aplazar#31,643

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "abrazar" and "aplazar" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([aβ̞ɾaˈsaɾ] versus [aplaˈsaɾ]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "abrazar" or "aplazar"?
"abrazar" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #14,043 in our Spanish list, against #31,643 for "aplazar". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering abrazar vs aplazar

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 “abrazar” 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