desarrollavsdesarrollarWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#4,153
“desarrolla” frequency rank
#2,288
“desarrollar” frequency rank
6441
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature desarrolla desarrollar
Definition Tercera persona del singular (él, ella, ello; usted, 2.ª persona) del presente de indicativo de desarrollar o de desarrollarse. Desplegar, estirar lo que estaba arrollado.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set desarrolla and desarrollar apart are highlighted. They share 10 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

10 ch
desarrolla
11 ch
desarrollar

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. desarrolla ([d̪esaˈroʝa]) and desarrollar ([d̪esaroˈʝaɾ]) 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 extra letter(s) - “desarrolla” sits inside “desarrollar”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 6441, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

desarrolla is recorded at frequency rank #4,153, classified as averb, pronounced [d̪esaˈroʝa]. desarrollar is at rank #2,288, tagged as averb, pronounced [d̪esaroˈʝaɾ].

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 6441, this pair ranks #310,777 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of desarrolla vs desarrollar

Shared letters: adelors. Private to "desarrolla": -. Private to "desarrollar": -.

"desarrolla" · 10 letters · shape CVCVCCVCCV  ·  "desarrollar" · 11 letters · shape CVCVCCVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • desarrolladdesarrolla · deasrrolla · desarolla · desarorlla · desarrlola · desarrola · desarrolal · desrarolla
  • desarrollarddesarrollar · deasrrollar · desarollar · desarorllar · desarrlolar · desarrolalr · desarrolar · desarrollarr

Frequency comparison

desarrolla#4,153
desarrollar#2,288

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "desarrolla" and "desarrollar" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([d̪esaˈroʝa] versus [d̪esaroˈʝaɾ]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "desarrolla" or "desarrollar"?
"desarrollar" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #2,288 in our Spanish list, against #4,153 for "desarrolla". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering desarrolla vs desarrollar

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 “desarrolla” 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