Which to use
“ahogar” and “ahogarse” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #22,561
- “ahogar” frequency rank
- #39,556
- “ahogarse” frequency rank
- 62117
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | ahogar | ahogarse |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Impedir que una persona o animal respirar, por ejemplo agarrándole la garganta o metiéndolo en el agua, generalmente causándole la muerte. | No poder respirar, por ejemplo a causa de inmersión en el agua o por presión en la garganta, hasta a veces morir. |
Where the eye mixes ahogar and ahogarse
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence. ahogar runs 6 letters (VCVCVC) against ahogarse's 8 (VCVCVCCV) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Look-alike desk: ahogar vs ahogarse
A purely visual mix-up. ahogar ([aoˈɣ̞aɾ]) and ahogarse ([aoˈɣ̞aɾse]) 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) - “ahogar” sits inside “ahogarse”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 62117, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
ahogar is recorded at frequency rank #22,561, classified as averb, pronounced [aoˈɣ̞aɾ]. ahogarse is at rank #39,556, tagged as averb, pronounced [aoˈɣ̞aɾse].
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 62117, this pair ranks #53,079 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of ahogar vs ahogarse
Shared letters: aghor. Private to "ahogar": -. Private to "ahogarse": es.
"ahogar" · 6 letters · shape VCVCVC · "ahogarse" · 8 letters · shape VCVCVCCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "ahogar" and "ahogarse" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "ahogar" or "ahogarse"?
Useful next steps
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "ahogar" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "ahogarse" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #53,079 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "ahogar" and "ahogarse" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "ahogarse vs asomarse". Nearby pair
- Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes
Confusion rank #53,079 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.