Which to use
“empeorar” and “empezar” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #15,602
- “empeorar” frequency rank
- #848
- “empezar” frequency rank
- 16450
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | empeorar | empezar |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Hacer que algo que ya era malo se vuelva aún peor. | Iniciar una acción. |
Where the eye mixes empeorar and empezar
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence.
Visual trap between empeorar and empezar
A purely visual mix-up. empeorar ([ẽmpeoˈɾaɾ]) and empezar ([ẽmpeˈsaɾ]) 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 16450, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
empeorar is recorded at frequency rank #15,602, classified as averb, pronounced [ẽmpeoˈɾaɾ]. empezar is at rank #848, tagged as averb, pronounced [ẽmpeˈsaɾ].
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 16450, this pair ranks #276,108 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of empeorar vs empezar
Shared letters: aempr. Private to "empeorar": o. Private to "empezar": z.
"empeorar" · 8 letters · shape VCCVVCVC · "empezar" · 7 letters · shape VCCVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "empeorar" for "empezar" ever safe?
Frequency check: "empeorar" vs "empezar" - which ranks higher?
After this comparison
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "empeorar" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "empezar" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #276,108 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "empeorar" and "empezar" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "empeoran vs empeorar". 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 #276,108 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.