Which to use
“elegir” and “exigir” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #1,479
- “elegir” frequency rank
- #4,245
- “exigir” frequency rank
- 5724
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | elegir | exigir |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Preferir una cosa o persona a otra para un fin. | Cobrar, percibir, sacar a alguien por autoridad pública dinero u otra cosa. |
Where the eye mixes elegir and exigir
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence.
Look-alike desk: elegir vs exigir
A purely visual mix-up. elegir ([eleˈxiɾ]) and exigir ([eksiˈxiɾ]) 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 5724, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
elegir is recorded at frequency rank #1,479, classified as averb, pronounced [eleˈxiɾ]. exigir is at rank #4,245, tagged as averb, pronounced [eksiˈxiɾ].
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 5724, this pair ranks #312,829 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of elegir vs exigir
Shared letters: egir. Private to "elegir": l. Private to "exigir": x.
"elegir" · 6 letters · shape VCVCVC · "exigir" · 6 letters · shape VCVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "elegir" for "exigir" ever safe?
Which is more common, "elegir" or "exigir"?
What to do next
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "elegir" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "exigir" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #312,829 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "elegir" and "exigir" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "exigir vs exigiría". Nearby pair
- Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes
Confusion rank #312,829 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.