desempeñaronvsdesempeñarseWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#41,299
“desempeñaron” frequency rank
#37,026
“desempeñarse” frequency rank
78325
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature desempeñaron desempeñarse
Definition Tercera persona del plural (ellos, ellas; ustedes, 2.ª persona) del pretérito perfecto simple de indicativo de desempeñar o de desempeñarse. Realizar las tareas encomendadas o las que corresponden al cargo o función.

Where the spellings diverge

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

12 ch
desempeñaron
12 ch
desempeñarse

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. desempeñaron ([d̪esẽmpeˈɲaɾõn]) and desempeñarse ([d̪esẽmpeˈɲaɾse]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 78325, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

desempeñaron is recorded at frequency rank #41,299, classified as averb, pronounced [d̪esẽmpeˈɲaɾõn]. desempeñarse is at rank #37,026, tagged as averb, pronounced [d̪esẽmpeˈɲaɾse].

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 78325, this pair ranks #14,624 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of desempeñaron vs desempeñarse

Shared letters: ademprsñ. Private to "desempeñaron": no. Private to "desempeñarse": -.

"desempeñaron" · 12 letters · shape CVCVCCVCVCVC  ·  "desempeñarse" · 12 letters · shape CVCVCCVCVCCV

Frequency comparison

desempeñaron#41,299
desempeñarse#37,026

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "desempeñaron" and "desempeñarse" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([d̪esẽmpeˈɲaɾõn] versus [d̪esẽmpeˈɲaɾse]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "desempeñaron" or "desempeñarse"?
"desempeñarse" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #37,026 in our Spanish list, against #41,299 for "desempeñaron". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering desempeñaron vs desempeñarse

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 “desempeñaron” 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