Which to use
“empeorar” and “esperar” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #15,602
- “empeorar” frequency rank
- #823
- “esperar” frequency rank
- 16425
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | empeorar | esperar |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Hacer que algo que ya era malo se vuelva aún peor. | Detener el movimiento o la acción hasta la llegada u ocurrencia de algo, hacer tiempo. |
Where the eye mixes empeorar and esperar
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence. empeorar runs 8 letters (VCCVVCVC) against esperar's 7 (VCCVCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses empeorar with esperar
A purely visual mix-up. empeorar ([ẽmpeoˈɾaɾ]) and esperar ([espeˈɾaɾ]) 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 16425, 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]. esperar is at rank #823, tagged as averb, pronounced [espeˈɾaɾ].
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 16425, this pair ranks #276,218 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of empeorar vs esperar
Shared letters: aepr. Private to "empeorar": mo. Private to "esperar": s.
"empeorar" · 8 letters · shape VCCVVCVC · "esperar" · 7 letters · shape VCCVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "empeorar" and "esperar" be used interchangeably?
In ordinary Spanish text, does "empeorar" or "esperar" show up more?
What to do next
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 "esperar" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #276,218 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "empeorar" and "esperar" 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 #276,218 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.