cargarsevscerrarseWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#32,544
“cargarse” frequency rank
#26,756
“cerrarse” frequency rank
59300
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature cargarse cerrarse
Definition No aprobar a alguien en un examen. Cerrar (uso pronominal de ...)

Where the spellings diverge

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

8 ch
cargarse
8 ch
cerrarse

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. cargarse ([kaɾˈɣ̞aɾse]) and cerrarse ([seˈraɾse]) 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 59300, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

cargarse is recorded at frequency rank #32,544, classified as averb, pronounced [kaɾˈɣ̞aɾse]. cerrarse is at rank #26,756, tagged as averb, pronounced [seˈraɾse].

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 59300, this pair ranks #63,137 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of cargarse vs cerrarse

Shared letters: acers. Private to "cargarse": g. Private to "cerrarse": -.

"cargarse" · 8 letters · shape CVCCVCCV  ·  "cerrarse" · 8 letters · shape CVCCVCCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • cargarseacrgarse · cagrarse · caragrse · cargarce · cargares · cargarrse · cargarsse · cargasre
  • cerrarseccerrarse · cerarrse · cerarse · cerrarce · cerrares · cerrarrse · cerrarsse · cerrasre

Frequency comparison

cargarse#32,544
cerrarse#26,756

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "cargarse" and "cerrarse" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([kaɾˈɣ̞aɾse] versus [seˈraɾse]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "cargarse" or "cerrarse"?
"cerrarse" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #26,756 in our Spanish list, against #32,544 for "cargarse". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering cargarse vs cerrarse

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 “cargarse” 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