Which to use
“empeñados” and “empleados” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #39,725
- “empeñados” frequency rank
- #1,602
- “empleados” frequency rank
- 41327
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | empeñados | empleados |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Forma del plural de empeñado, participio de empeñar o de empeñarse. | Forma del plural de empleado, participio de emplear o de emplearse. |
Where the eye mixes empeñados and empleados
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 8 letters in sequence. empeñados (VCCVCVCVC) and empleados (VCCCVVCVC) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Why the eye confuses empeñados with empleados
A purely visual mix-up. empeñados ([ẽmpeˈɲað̞os]) and empleados ([ẽmpleˈað̞os]) 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 41327, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
empeñados is recorded at frequency rank #39,725, classified as aparticiple, pronounced [ẽmpeˈɲað̞os]. empleados is at rank #1,602, tagged as aparticiple, pronounced [ẽmpleˈað̞os].
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 41327, this pair ranks #154,263 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of empeñados vs empleados
Shared letters: ademops. Private to "empeñados": ñ. Private to "empleados": l.
"empeñados" · 9 letters · shape VCCVCVCVC · "empleados" · 9 letters · shape VCCCVVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- empleados ← emlpeados · emmpleados · empelados · emplaedos · empleaddos · empleadoss · empleadso · empleaods
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "empeñados" for "empleados" ever safe?
In ordinary Spanish text, does "empeñados" or "empleados" show up more?
What to do next
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "empeñados" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "empleados" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #154,263 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "empeñados" and "empleados" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "empeñados vs empujados". 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 #154,263 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.