denegarvsdenigrarWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#43,501
“denegar” frequency rank
#38,630
“denigrar” frequency rank
82131
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature denegar denigrar
Definition No conceder lo que se pide o solicita. Desdoro verbal o por escrito de la honra ajena

Where the spellings diverge

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

7 ch
denegar
8 ch
denigrar

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. denegar ([d̪eneˈɣ̞aɾ]) and denigrar ([d̪eniˈɣ̞ɾaɾ]) 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 82131, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

denegar is recorded at frequency rank #43,501, classified as averb, pronounced [d̪eneˈɣ̞aɾ]. denigrar is at rank #38,630, tagged as averb, pronounced [d̪eniˈɣ̞ɾaɾ].

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 82131, this pair ranks #9,567 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of denegar vs denigrar

Shared letters: adegnr. Private to "denegar": -. Private to "denigrar": i.

"denegar" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCVC  ·  "denigrar" · 8 letters · shape CVCVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • denegarddenegar · deengar · deneagr · denegarr · deneggar · denegra · dengear · dennegar
  • denigrarddenigrar · deingrar · dengirar · denigarr · deniggrar · denigrarr · denigrra · denigrrar

Frequency comparison

denegar#43,501
denigrar#38,630

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "denegar" and "denigrar" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([d̪eneˈɣ̞aɾ] versus [d̪eniˈɣ̞ɾaɾ]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "denegar" or "denigrar"?
"denigrar" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #38,630 in our Spanish list, against #43,501 for "denegar". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering denegar vs denigrar

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 “denegar” 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