Which to use
“empatar” and “espantar” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #21,314
- “empatar” frequency rank
- #35,027
- “espantar” frequency rank
- 56341
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | empatar | espantar |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Quedar iguales los votos de modo que no pueda haber resolución o elección. | Causar espanto, dar susto, infundir miedo. |
Where the eye mixes empatar and espantar
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence. empatar runs 7 letters (VCCVCVC) against espantar's 8 (VCCVCCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses empatar with espantar
A purely visual mix-up. empatar ([ẽmpaˈt̪aɾ]) and espantar ([espãn̪ˈt̪aɾ]) 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 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 56341, 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]. espantar is at rank #35,027, tagged as averb, pronounced [espãn̪ˈt̪aɾ].
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 56341, this pair ranks #75,016 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of empatar vs espantar
Shared letters: aeprt. Private to "empatar": m. Private to "espantar": ns.
"empatar" · 7 letters · shape VCCVCVC · "espantar" · 8 letters · shape VCCVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "empatar" for "espantar" ever safe?
Frequency check: "empatar" vs "espantar" - which ranks higher?
Useful next steps
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 "espantar" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #75,016 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "empatar" and "espantar" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "empacar vs empatar". 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 #75,016 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.