Which to use
“embargo” and “embargos” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #264
- “embargo” frequency rank
- #45,897
- “embargos” frequency rank
- 46161
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | embargo | embargos |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Ocupación, aprehensión o retención de los bienes de una persona hecha con mandamiento de juez competente por razón de deuda o delito. | Forma del plural de embargo. |
Where the eye mixes embargo and embargos
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses embargo with embargos
A purely visual mix-up. embargo ([ẽmˈbaɾɣ̞o]) and embargos ([ẽmˈbaɾɣ̞os]) 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 1 extra letter(s) - “embargo” sits inside “embargos”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 46161, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
embargo is recorded at frequency rank #264, classified as anoun, pronounced [ẽmˈbaɾɣ̞o]. embargos is at rank #45,897, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ẽmˈbaɾɣ̞os].
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 46161, this pair ranks #127,338 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of embargo vs embargos
Shared letters: abegmor. Private to "embargo": -. Private to "embargos": s.
"embargo" · 7 letters · shape VCCVCCV · "embargos" · 8 letters · shape VCCVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "embargo" for "embargos" ever safe?
In ordinary Spanish text, does "embargo" or "embargos" show up more?
After this comparison
Eye-level mix-up between "embargo" and "embargos" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "embargo" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "embargos" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #127,338 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "embargo" and "embargos" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "embargos vs encargos". 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 #127,338 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.