Which to use
“complicar” and “complicarse” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #24,067
- “complicar” frequency rank
- #42,893
- “complicarse” frequency rank
- 66960
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | complicar | complicarse |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Mezclar, combinar o unir cosas diversas entre sí. | Complicar (uso pronominal de ...) |
Where the eye mixes complicar and complicarse
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 9 letters in sequence. complicar runs 9 letters (CVCCCVCVC) against complicarse's 11 (CVCCCVCVCCV) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Visual trap between complicar and complicarse
A purely visual mix-up. complicar ([kõmpliˈkaɾ]) and complicarse ([kõmpliˈkaɾse]) 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) - “complicar” sits inside “complicarse”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 66960, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
complicar is recorded at frequency rank #24,067, classified as averb, pronounced [kõmpliˈkaɾ]. complicarse is at rank #42,893, tagged as averb, pronounced [kõmpliˈkaɾse].
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 66960, this pair ranks #38,396 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of complicar vs complicarse
Shared letters: acilmopr. Private to "complicar": -. Private to "complicarse": es.
"complicar" · 9 letters · shape CVCCCVCVC · "complicarse" · 11 letters · shape CVCCCVCVCCV
Known mistypes of this pair
- complicar ← ccomplicar · cmoplicar · comlpicar · commplicar · compilcar · complciar · compliacr · complicarr
- complicarse ← ccomplicarse · cmoplicarse · comlpicarse · commplicarse · compilcarse · complciarse · compliacrse · complicarce
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "complicar" and "complicarse" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Which is more common, "complicar" or "complicarse"?
Useful next steps
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "complicar" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "complicarse" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #38,396 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "complicar" and "complicarse" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "completarse vs complicarse". 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 #38,396 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.