descargarvsdescargoWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: descargar is a verb, descargo is a noun, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“descargar” is a verb and “descargo” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#4,780
“descargar” frequency rank
#21,634
“descargo” frequency rank
26414
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature descargar descargo
Definition Retirar o bajar la carga de un transporte. Acción de quitar o bajar la carga del vehículo que la lleva.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set descargar and descargo apart are highlighted. They share 7 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

9 ch
descargar
8 ch
descargo

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: descargar is [d̪eskaɾˈɣ̞aɾ] while descargo is [d̪esˈkaɾɣ̞o]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 26414, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

descargar is recorded at frequency rank #4,780, classified as averb, pronounced [d̪eskaɾˈɣ̞aɾ]. descargo is at rank #21,634, tagged as anoun, pronounced [d̪esˈkaɾɣ̞o].

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 26414, this pair ranks #231,734 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of descargar vs descargo

Shared letters: acdegrs. Private to "descargar": -. Private to "descargo": o.

"descargar" · 9 letters · shape CVCCVCCVC  ·  "descargo" · 8 letters · shape CVCCVCCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • descargarddescargar · decsargar · desacrgar · descagrar · descaragr · descargarr · descarggar · descargra
  • descargoddescargo · decsargo · desacrgo · descagro · descarggo · descarog · descarrgo · desccargo

Frequency comparison

descargar#4,780
descargo#21,634

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "descargar" and "descargo" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "descargar" is a verb and "descargo" a noun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "descargar" or "descargo"?
"descargar" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #4,780 in our Spanish list, against #21,634 for "descargo". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering descargar vs descargo

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “descargar”; for a noun, it's “descargo”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “descargar” 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