empeñavsempeoraWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#34,086
“empeña” frequency rank
#18,231
“empeora” frequency rank
52317
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature empeña empeora
Definition Tercera persona del singular (él, ella, ello; usted, 2.ª persona) del presente de indicativo de empeñar o de empeñarse. Tercera persona del singular (él, ella, ello; usted, 2.ª persona) del presente de indicativo de empeorar.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set empeña and empeora apart are highlighted. They share 5 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

6 ch
empeña
7 ch
empeora

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. empeña ([ẽmˈpeɲa]) and empeora ([ẽmpeˈoɾa]) 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 52317, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

empeña is recorded at frequency rank #34,086, classified as averb, pronounced [ẽmˈpeɲa]. empeora is at rank #18,231, tagged as averb, pronounced [ẽmpeˈoɾa].

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 52317, this pair ranks #93,295 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of empeña vs empeora

Shared letters: aemp. Private to "empeña": ñ. Private to "empeora": or.

"empeña" · 6 letters · shape VCCVCV  ·  "empeora" · 7 letters · shape VCCVVCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • empeoraemepora · emmpeora · empeoar · emperoa · empoera · emppeora · epmeora · mepeora

Frequency comparison

empeña#34,086
empeora#18,231

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "empeña" and "empeora" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ẽmˈpeɲa] versus [ẽmpeˈoɾa]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "empeña" or "empeora"?
"empeora" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #18,231 in our Spanish list, against #34,086 for "empeña". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering empeña vs empeora

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “empeña” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list