Which to use
“empeñan” and “empiezan” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #36,551
- “empeñan” frequency rank
- #3,700
- “empiezan” frequency rank
- 40251
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | empeñan | empiezan |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Tercera persona del plural (ellos, ellas; ustedes, 2.ª persona) del presente de indicativo de empeñar o de empeñarse. | Tercera persona del plural (ellos, ellas; ustedes, 2.ª persona) del presente de indicativo de empezar. |
Where the eye mixes empeñan and empiezan
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence. empeñan runs 7 letters (VCCVCVC) against empiezan's 8 (VCCVVCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Look-alike desk: empeñan vs empiezan
A purely visual mix-up. empeñan ([ẽmˈpeɲãn]) and empiezan ([ẽmˈpjesãn]) 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 40251, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
empeñan is recorded at frequency rank #36,551, classified as averb, pronounced [ẽmˈpeɲãn]. empiezan is at rank #3,700, tagged as averb, pronounced [ẽmˈpjesãn].
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 40251, this pair ranks #160,103 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of empeñan vs empiezan
Shared letters: aemnp. Private to "empeñan": ñ. Private to "empiezan": iz.
"empeñan" · 7 letters · shape VCCVCVC · "empiezan" · 8 letters · shape VCCVVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- empiezan ← emipezan · emmpiezan · empeizan · empieazn · empiezann · empiezna · empiezzan · empizean
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "empeñan" for "empiezan" ever safe?
Which is more common, "empeñan" or "empiezan"?
What to do next
Eye-level mix-up between "empeñan" and "empiezan" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "empeñan" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "empiezan" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #160,103 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "empeñan" and "empiezan" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "empeñan vs empeños". 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 #160,103 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.