embarazovsembarazosoTell them apart

Quick tell: embarazo is a noun, embarazoso is an adjective, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“embarazo” is a noun and “embarazoso” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#4,887
“embarazo” frequency rank
#47,095
“embarazoso” frequency rank
51982
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature embarazo embarazoso
Definition Período que transcurre entre la implantación en el útero del óvulo fecundado y el momento del parto. Que provoca vergüenza o embarazo.

Where the eye mixes embarazo and embarazoso

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 8 letters in sequence. embarazo runs 8 letters (VCCVCVCV) against embarazoso's 10 (VCCVCVCVCV) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.

8 ch
embarazo
10 ch
embarazoso

Why the eye confuses embarazo with embarazoso

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: embarazo is [ẽmbaˈɾaso] while embarazoso is [ẽmbaɾaˈsoso]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 2 extra letter(s) - “embarazo” sits inside “embarazoso”, and the parts of speech differ too (noun vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 51982, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

embarazo is recorded at frequency rank #4,887, classified as anoun, pronounced [ẽmbaˈɾaso]. embarazoso is at rank #47,095, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ẽmbaɾaˈsoso].

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 51982, this pair ranks #95,037 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of embarazo vs embarazoso

Shared letters: abemorz. Private to "embarazo": -. Private to "embarazoso": s.

"embarazo" · 8 letters · shape VCCVCVCV  ·  "embarazoso" · 10 letters · shape VCCVCVCVCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • embarazo ← ebmarazo · emabrazo · embaarzo · embaraoz · embarazzo · embarrazo · embarzao · embbarazo
  • embarazoso ← ebmarazoso · emabrazoso · embaarzoso · embaraozso · embarazoos · embarazosso · embarazsoo · embarazzoso

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "embarazo" and "embarazoso" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "embarazo" is a noun and "embarazoso" an adjective, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
In ordinary Spanish text, does "embarazo" or "embarazoso" show up more?
"embarazo" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #4,887 in our Spanish list, against #47,095 for "embarazoso". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

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 "embarazo" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "embarazoso" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #95,037 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "embarazo" and "embarazoso" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "embarazado vs embarazoso". 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 #95,037 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list