colarvscolgarWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#34,504
“colar” frequency rank
#10,636
“colgar” frequency rank
45140
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature colar colgar
Definition Filtrar un líquido, separando los sólidos en el contenidos del medio acuoso. Sujetar algo o alguien de modo que no toque el suelo.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set colar and colgar apart are highlighted. They share 5 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

5 ch
colar
6 ch
colgar

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. colar ([koˈlaɾ]) and colgar ([kolˈɣ̞aɾ]) 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 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 45140, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

colar is recorded at frequency rank #34,504, classified as averb, pronounced [koˈlaɾ]. colgar is at rank #10,636, tagged as averb, pronounced [kolˈɣ̞aɾ].

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 45140, this pair ranks #133,154 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of colar vs colgar

Shared letters: aclor. Private to "colar": -. Private to "colgar": g.

"colar" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC  ·  "colgar" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • colarccolar · cloar · coalr · colarr · colra · oclar
  • colgarccolgar · clogar · coglar · colagr · colgarr · colggar · colgra · collgar

Frequency comparison

colar#34,504
colgar#10,636

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "colar" and "colgar" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([koˈlaɾ] versus [kolˈɣ̞aɾ]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "colar" or "colgar"?
"colgar" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #10,636 in our Spanish list, against #34,504 for "colar". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering colar vs colgar

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 “colar” 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