empezaronvsemplearonWhich spelling fits?

Which to use

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

#3,317
“empezaron” frequency rank
#27,972
“emplearon” frequency rank
31289
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature empezaron emplearon
Definition Tercera persona del plural (ellos, ellas; ustedes, 2.ª persona) del pretérito perfecto simple de indicativo de empezar. Tercera persona del plural (ellos, ellas; ustedes, 2.ª persona) del pretérito perfecto simple de indicativo de emplear o de emplearse.

Where the eye mixes empezaron and emplearon

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 8 letters in sequence.

9 ch
empezaron
9 ch
emplearon

Look-alike desk: empezaron vs emplearon

A purely visual mix-up. empezaron ([ẽmpeˈsaɾõn]) and emplearon ([ẽmpleˈaɾõn]) 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 31289, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

empezaron is recorded at frequency rank #3,317, classified as averb, pronounced [ẽmpeˈsaɾõn]. emplearon is at rank #27,972, tagged as averb, pronounced [ẽmpleˈaɾõn].

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 31289, this pair ranks #207,824 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of empezaron vs emplearon

Shared letters: aemnopr. Private to "empezaron": z. Private to "emplearon": l.

"empezaron" · 9 letters · shape VCCVCVCVC  ·  "emplearon" · 9 letters · shape VCCCVVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • empezaronemepzaron · emmpezaron · empeazron · empezaorn · empezarno · empezaronn · empezarron · empezraon
  • emplearonemlpearon · emmplearon · empelaron · emplaeron · empleaorn · emplearno · emplearonn · emplearron

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "empezaron" and "emplearon" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ẽmpeˈsaɾõn] versus [ẽmpleˈaɾõn]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Frequency check: "empezaron" vs "emplearon" - which ranks higher?
"empezaron" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #3,317 in our Spanish list, against #27,972 for "emplearon". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Useful next steps

Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.

  • Full dictionary entry for "empezaron" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "emplearon" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #207,824 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "empezaron" and "emplearon" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "empleamos vs emplearon". 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 #207,824 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list