Which to use
“aplicar” and “aplicarse” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #2,861
- “aplicar” frequency rank
- #13,611
- “aplicarse” frequency rank
- 16472
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | aplicar | aplicarse |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Poner una cosa sobre o en contacto de otra. | Poner mayor esfuerzo y cuidado en la vida, especialmente en la vida académica o laboral. |
Where the eye mixes aplicar and aplicarse
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence. aplicar runs 7 letters (VCCVCVC) against aplicarse's 9 (VCCVCVCCV) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Visual trap between aplicar and aplicarse
A purely visual mix-up. aplicar ([apliˈkaɾ]) and aplicarse ([apliˈkaɾse]) 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) - “aplicar” sits inside “aplicarse”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 16472, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
aplicar is recorded at frequency rank #2,861, classified as averb, pronounced [apliˈkaɾ]. aplicarse is at rank #13,611, tagged as averb, pronounced [apliˈkaɾse].
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 16472, this pair ranks #276,028 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of aplicar vs aplicarse
Shared letters: acilpr. Private to "aplicar": -. Private to "aplicarse": es.
"aplicar" · 7 letters · shape VCCVCVC · "aplicarse" · 9 letters · shape VCCVCVCCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "aplicar" and "aplicarse" be used interchangeably?
Frequency check: "aplicar" vs "aplicarse" - which ranks higher?
Useful next steps
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "aplicar" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "aplicarse" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #276,028 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "aplicar" and "aplicarse" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "aplicaría vs aplicarse". 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 #276,028 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.