embarcarvsembarcarseConfusable pair

Which to use

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

#32,633
“embarcar” frequency rank
#30,886
“embarcarse” frequency rank
63519
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature embarcar embarcarse
Definition Ingresar o introducir personas o mercancías en un barco, avión, tren u otro medio de transporte para viajar. Embarcar (uso pronominal de...).

Where the eye mixes embarcar and embarcarse

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 8 letters in sequence.

8 ch
embarcar
10 ch
embarcarse

Why the eye confuses embarcar with embarcarse

A purely visual mix-up. embarcar ([ẽmbaɾˈkaɾ]) and embarcarse ([ẽmbaɾˈkaɾse]) 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) - “embarcar” sits inside “embarcarse”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 63519, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

embarcar is recorded at frequency rank #32,633, classified as averb, pronounced [ẽmbaɾˈkaɾ]. embarcarse is at rank #30,886, tagged as averb, pronounced [ẽmbaɾˈkaɾse].

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 63519, this pair ranks #48,505 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of embarcar vs embarcarse

Shared letters: abcemr. Private to "embarcar": -. Private to "embarcarse": s.

"embarcar" · 8 letters · shape VCCVCCVC  ·  "embarcarse" · 10 letters · shape VCCVCCVCCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • embarcarebmarcar · emabrcar · embacrar · embaracr · embarcarr · embarccar · embarcra · embarrcar
  • embarcarseebmarcarse · emabrcarse · embacrarse · embaracrse · embarcarce · embarcares · embarcarrse · embarcarsse

Frequently Asked Questions

Is swapping "embarcar" for "embarcarse" ever safe?
No. They are said differently ([ẽmbaɾˈkaɾ] versus [ẽmbaɾˈkaɾse]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "embarcar" or "embarcarse"?
"embarcarse" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #30,886 in our Spanish list, against #32,633 for "embarcar". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

After this comparison

Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.

  • Full dictionary entry for "embarcar" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "embarcarse" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #48,505 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "embarcar" and "embarcarse" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "embarcar vs empacar". 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 #48,505 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