ahorrarvsahorrarseWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#5,579
“ahorrar” frequency rank
#41,721
“ahorrarse” frequency rank
47300
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature ahorrar ahorrarse
Definition Evitar consumir innecesariamente algún recurso. Ahorrar (uso pronominal de ...)

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set ahorrar and ahorrarse apart are highlighted. They share 7 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

7 ch
ahorrar
9 ch
ahorrarse

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. ahorrar ([aoˈraɾ]) and ahorrarse ([aoˈraɾse]) 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) - “ahorrar” sits inside “ahorrarse”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 47300, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

ahorrar is recorded at frequency rank #5,579, classified as averb, pronounced [aoˈraɾ]. ahorrarse is at rank #41,721, tagged as averb, pronounced [aoˈraɾse].

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 47300, this pair ranks #120,833 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of ahorrar vs ahorrarse

Shared letters: ahor. Private to "ahorrar": -. Private to "ahorrarse": es.

"ahorrar" · 7 letters · shape VCVCCVC  ·  "ahorrarse" · 9 letters · shape VCVCCVCCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • ahorrarahhorrar · ahorar · ahorarr · ahorrarr · ahorrra · ahrorar · aohrrar · haorrar
  • ahorrarseahhorrarse · ahorarrse · ahorarse · ahorrarce · ahorrares · ahorrarrse · ahorrarsse · ahorrasre

Frequency comparison

ahorrar#5,579
ahorrarse#41,721

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "ahorrar" and "ahorrarse" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([aoˈraɾ] versus [aoˈraɾse]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "ahorrar" or "ahorrarse"?
"ahorrar" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #5,579 in our Spanish list, against #41,721 for "ahorrarse". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering ahorrar vs ahorrarse

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 “ahorrar” 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