empatarvsempujarConfusable pair

Which to use

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

#21,314
“empatar” frequency rank
#14,129
“empujar” frequency rank
35443
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature empatar empujar
Definition Quedar iguales los votos de modo que no pueda haber resolución o elección. Aplicar una fuerza para mover o detener algo o a alguien.

Where the eye mixes empatar and empujar

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence.

7 ch
empatar
7 ch
empujar

Look-alike desk: empatar vs empujar

A purely visual mix-up. empatar ([ẽmpaˈt̪aɾ]) and empujar ([ẽmpuˈxaɾ]) 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 35443, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

empatar is recorded at frequency rank #21,314, classified as averb, pronounced [ẽmpaˈt̪aɾ]. empujar is at rank #14,129, tagged as averb, pronounced [ẽmpuˈxaɾ].

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 35443, this pair ranks #186,076 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of empatar vs empujar

Shared letters: aempr. Private to "empatar": t. Private to "empujar": ju.

"empatar" · 7 letters · shape VCCVCVC  ·  "empujar" · 7 letters · shape VCCVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • empataremaptar · emmpatar · empaatr · empatarr · empatra · empattar · emppatar · emptaar
  • empujaremmpujar · empjuar · emppujar · empuajr · empujarr · empujjar · empujra · emupjar

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "empatar" and "empujar" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ẽmpaˈt̪aɾ] versus [ẽmpuˈxaɾ]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Frequency check: "empatar" vs "empujar" - which ranks higher?
"empujar" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #14,129 in our Spanish list, against #21,314 for "empatar". 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 "empatar" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "empujar" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #186,076 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "empatar" and "empujar" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "empujada vs empujar". 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 #186,076 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