Which to use
“empecé” and “espere” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #3,842
- “empecé” frequency rank
- #9,291
- “espere” frequency rank
- 13133
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | empecé | espere |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Primera persona del singular (yo) del pretérito perfecto simple de indicativo de empezar. | Primera persona del singular (yo) del presente de subjuntivo de esperar o de esperarse. |
Where the eye mixes empecé and espere
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence. empecé and espere follow the identical consonant-vowel pattern (VCCVCV). Same shape at a glance is often the real trap, independent of shared letters.
Look-alike desk: empecé vs espere
A purely visual mix-up. empecé ([ẽmpeˈse]) and espere ([esˈpeɾe]) 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 3 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 13133, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
empecé is recorded at frequency rank #3,842, classified as averb, pronounced [ẽmpeˈse]. espere is at rank #9,291, tagged as averb, pronounced [esˈpeɾe].
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 13133, this pair ranks #289,017 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of empecé vs espere
Shared letters: ep. Private to "empecé": cmé. Private to "espere": rs.
"empecé" · 6 letters · shape VCCVCV · "espere" · 6 letters · shape VCCVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
- espere ← epsere · esepre · espeer · esperre · esppere · espree · esspere · sepere
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "empecé" and "espere" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Frequency check: "empecé" vs "espere" - which ranks higher?
What to do next
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "empecé" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "espere" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #289,017 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "empecé" and "espere" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "esperad vs espere". 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 #289,017 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.