Which to use
“amar” and “amarga” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #4,301
- “amar” frequency rank
- #13,388
- “amarga” frequency rank
- 17689
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | amar | amarga |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Sentir amor por alguien o algo. | Tercera persona del singular (él, ella, ello; usted, 2.ª persona) del presente de indicativo de amargar. |
Where the eye mixes amar and amarga
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence.
Look-alike desk: amar vs amarga
A purely visual mix-up. amar ([aˈmaɾ]) and amarga ([aˈmaɾɣ̞a]) 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) - “amar” sits inside “amarga”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 17689, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
amar is recorded at frequency rank #4,301, classified as averb, pronounced [aˈmaɾ]. amarga is at rank #13,388, tagged as averb, pronounced [aˈmaɾɣ̞a].
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 17689, this pair ranks #271,111 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of amar vs amarga
Shared letters: amr. Private to "amar": -. Private to "amarga": g.
"amar" · 4 letters · shape VCVC · "amarga" · 6 letters · shape VCVCCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "amar" for "amarga" ever safe?
Which is more common, "amar" or "amarga"?
Useful next steps
Eye-level mix-up between "amar" and "amarga" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "amar" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "amarga" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #271,111 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "amar" and "amarga" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "amarga vs amarras". 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 #271,111 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.