Which to use
“empieza” and “emplaza” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #1,444
- “empieza” frequency rank
- #44,149
- “emplaza” frequency rank
- 45593
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | empieza | emplaza |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Tercera persona del singular (él, ella, ello; usted, 2.ª persona) del presente de indicativo de empezar. | Tercera persona del singular (él, ella, ello; usted, 2.ª persona) del presente de indicativo de emplazar. |
Where the eye mixes empieza and emplaza
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence. empieza (VCCVVCV) and emplaza (VCCCVCV) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Look-alike desk: empieza vs emplaza
A purely visual mix-up. empieza ([ẽmˈpjesa]) and emplaza ([ẽmˈplasa]) 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 45593, 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]. emplaza is at rank #44,149, tagged as averb, pronounced [ẽmˈplasa].
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 45593, this pair ranks #130,537 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of empieza vs emplaza
Shared letters: aempz. Private to "empieza": i. Private to "emplaza": l.
"empieza" · 7 letters · shape VCCVVCV · "emplaza" · 7 letters · shape VCCCVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "empieza" and "emplaza" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Which is more common, "empieza" or "emplaza"?
What to do next
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 "emplaza" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #130,537 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "empieza" and "emplaza" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "emplaza vs emplazado". 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 #130,537 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.