ampliarvsaplicarWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#5,914
“ampliar” frequency rank
#2,861
“aplicar” frequency rank
8775
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature ampliar aplicar
Definition Hacer más amplio, aumentar o hacer más grande en tamaño, profundidad, contenido, cantidad, duración o alcance; extender los límites de algo. Poner una cosa sobre o en contacto de otra.

Where the spellings diverge

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

7 ch
ampliar
7 ch
aplicar

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. ampliar ([ãmˈpljaɾ]) and aplicar ([apliˈkaɾ]) 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 4 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 8775, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

ampliar is recorded at frequency rank #5,914, classified as averb, pronounced [ãmˈpljaɾ]. aplicar is at rank #2,861, tagged as averb, pronounced [apliˈkaɾ].

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 8775, this pair ranks #303,959 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of ampliar vs aplicar

Shared letters: ailpr. Private to "ampliar": m. Private to "aplicar": c.

"ampliar" · 7 letters · shape VCCCVVC  ·  "aplicar" · 7 letters · shape VCCVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • ampliaramlpiar · ammpliar · ampilar · amplair · ampliarr · amplira · amplliar · amppliar
  • aplicaralpicar · apilcar · aplciar · apliacr · aplicarr · apliccar · aplicra · apllicar

Frequency comparison

ampliar#5,914
aplicar#2,861

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "ampliar" and "aplicar" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ãmˈpljaɾ] versus [apliˈkaɾ]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "ampliar" or "aplicar"?
"aplicar" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #2,861 in our Spanish list, against #5,914 for "ampliar". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering ampliar vs aplicar

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 “ampliar” 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