ahogarsevsapagarseWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#39,556
“ahogarse” frequency rank
#47,552
“apagarse” frequency rank
87108
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature ahogarse apagarse
Definition No poder respirar, por ejemplo a causa de inmersión en el agua o por presión en la garganta, hasta a veces morir. Apagar (uso pronominal de ...)

Where the spellings diverge

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

8 ch
ahogarse
8 ch
apagarse

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. ahogarse ([aoˈɣ̞aɾse]) and apagarse ([apaˈɣ̞aɾse]) 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 87108, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

ahogarse is recorded at frequency rank #39,556, classified as averb, pronounced [aoˈɣ̞aɾse]. apagarse is at rank #47,552, tagged as averb, pronounced [apaˈɣ̞aɾse].

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 87108, this pair ranks #4,753 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of ahogarse vs apagarse

Shared letters: aegrs. Private to "ahogarse": ho. Private to "apagarse": p.

"ahogarse" · 8 letters · shape VCVCVCCV  ·  "apagarse" · 8 letters · shape VCVCVCCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • ahogarseahgoarse · ahhogarse · ahoagrse · ahogarce · ahogares · ahogarrse · ahogarsse · ahogasre
  • apagarseaapgarse · apaagrse · apagarce · apagares · apagarrse · apagarsse · apagasre · apaggarse

Frequency comparison

ahogarse#39,556
apagarse#47,552

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "ahogarse" and "apagarse" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([aoˈɣ̞aɾse] versus [apaˈɣ̞aɾse]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "ahogarse" or "apagarse"?
"ahogarse" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #39,556 in our Spanish list, against #47,552 for "apagarse". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering ahogarse vs apagarse

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 “ahogarse” 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