desarrollarvsdesarrollarseWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#2,288
“desarrollar” frequency rank
#12,131
“desarrollarse” frequency rank
14419
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature desarrollar desarrollarse
Definition Desplegar, estirar lo que estaba arrollado. Crecer pasando por varios estados de desarrollo sucesivos.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set desarrollar and desarrollarse apart are highlighted. They share 11 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

11 ch
desarrollar
13 ch
desarrollarse

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. desarrollar ([d̪esaroˈʝaɾ]) and desarrollarse ([d̪esaroˈʝaɾse]) 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) - “desarrollar” sits inside “desarrollarse”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 14419, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

desarrollar is recorded at frequency rank #2,288, classified as averb, pronounced [d̪esaroˈʝaɾ]. desarrollarse is at rank #12,131, tagged as averb, pronounced [d̪esaroˈʝaɾse].

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 14419, this pair ranks #284,181 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of desarrollar vs desarrollarse

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

"desarrollar" · 11 letters · shape CVCVCCVCCVC  ·  "desarrollarse" · 13 letters · shape CVCVCCVCCVCCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • desarrollarddesarrollar · deasrrollar · desarollar · desarorllar · desarrlolar · desarrolalr · desarrolar · desarrollarr
  • desarrollarseddesarrollarse · deasrrollarse · desarollarse · desarorllarse · desarrlolarse · desarrolalrse · desarrolarse · desarrollarce

Frequency comparison

desarrollar#2,288
desarrollarse#12,131

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "desarrollar" and "desarrollarse" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([d̪esaroˈʝaɾ] versus [d̪esaroˈʝaɾse]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "desarrollar" or "desarrollarse"?
"desarrollar" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #2,288 in our Spanish list, against #12,131 for "desarrollarse". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering desarrollar vs desarrollarse

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 “desarrollar” 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