Which to use
“empezó” and “empiezo” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #1,243
- “empezó” frequency rank
- #6,775
- “empiezo” frequency rank
- 8018
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | empezó | empiezo |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Tercera persona del singular (él, ella, ello; usted, 2.ª persona) del pretérito perfecto simple de indicativo de empezar. | Primera persona del singular (yo) del presente de indicativo de empezar. |
Where the eye mixes empezó and empiezo
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence. empezó runs 6 letters (VCCVCV) against empiezo's 7 (VCCVVCV) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Look-alike desk: empezó vs empiezo
A purely visual mix-up. empezó ([ẽmpeˈso]) and empiezo ([ẽmˈpjeso]) 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 8018, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
empezó is recorded at frequency rank #1,243, classified as averb, pronounced [ẽmpeˈso]. empiezo is at rank #6,775, tagged as averb, pronounced [ẽmˈpjeso].
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 8018, this pair ranks #306,239 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of empezó vs empiezo
Shared letters: empz. Private to "empezó": ó. Private to "empiezo": io.
"empezó" · 6 letters · shape VCCVCV · "empiezo" · 7 letters · shape VCCVVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
- empiezo ← emipezo · emmpiezo · empeizo · empieoz · empiezzo · empizeo · emppiezo · epmiezo
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "empezó" and "empiezo" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Frequency check: "empezó" vs "empiezo" - which ranks higher?
After this comparison
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "empezó" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "empiezo" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #306,239 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "empezó" and "empiezo" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "empezó vs empujo". 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 #306,239 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.