Which to use
“empieza” and “empiezan” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #1,444
- “empieza” frequency rank
- #3,700
- “empiezan” frequency rank
- 5144
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | empieza | empiezan |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Tercera persona del singular (él, ella, ello; usted, 2.ª persona) del presente de indicativo de empezar. | Tercera persona del plural (ellos, ellas; ustedes, 2.ª persona) del presente de indicativo de empezar. |
Where the eye mixes empieza and empiezan
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence. empieza runs 7 letters (VCCVVCV) against empiezan's 8 (VCCVVCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses empieza with empiezan
A purely visual mix-up. empieza ([ẽmˈpjesa]) 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 extra letter(s) - “empieza” sits inside “empiezan”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 5144, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
empieza is recorded at frequency rank #1,444, classified as averb, pronounced [ẽmˈpjesa]. 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 5144, this pair ranks #314,388 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of empieza vs empiezan
Shared letters: aeimpz. Private to "empieza": -. Private to "empiezan": n.
"empieza" · 7 letters · shape VCCVVCV · "empiezan" · 8 letters · shape VCCVVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "empieza" and "empiezan" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "empieza" or "empiezan"?
Useful next steps
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "empieza" 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 #314,388 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "empieza" and "empiezan" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "empieza vs emplaza". 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 #314,388 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.