apagarvsapurarWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#8,467
“apagar” frequency rank
#32,965
“apurar” frequency rank
41432
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature apagar apurar
Definition Hacer que un aparato electrónico deje de estar encendido. Purificar o limpiar.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set apagar and apurar apart are highlighted. They share 4 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

6 ch
apagar
6 ch
apurar

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. apagar ([apaˈɣ̞aɾ]) and apurar ([apuˈɾaɾ]) 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 41432, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

apagar is recorded at frequency rank #8,467, classified as averb, pronounced [apaˈɣ̞aɾ]. apurar is at rank #32,965, tagged as averb, pronounced [apuˈɾaɾ].

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 41432, this pair ranks #153,651 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of apagar vs apurar

Shared letters: apr. Private to "apagar": g. Private to "apurar": u.

"apagar" · 6 letters · shape VCVCVC  ·  "apurar" · 6 letters · shape VCVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • apagaraapgar · apaagr · apagarr · apaggar · apagra · apgaar · appagar · paagar
  • apurarappurar · apruar · apuarr · apurarr · apurra · apurrar · auprar · paurar

Frequency comparison

apagar#8,467
apurar#32,965

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "apagar" and "apurar" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([apaˈɣ̞aɾ] versus [apuˈɾaɾ]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "apagar" or "apurar"?
"apagar" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #8,467 in our Spanish list, against #32,965 for "apurar". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering apagar vs apurar

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 “apagar” 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