Which to use
“empiezan” and “emplean” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #3,700
- “empiezan” frequency rank
- #11,398
- “emplean” frequency rank
- 15098
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | empiezan | emplean |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Tercera persona del plural (ellos, ellas; ustedes, 2.ª persona) del presente de indicativo de empezar. | Tercera persona del plural (ellos, ellas; ustedes, 2.ª persona) del presente de indicativo de emplear o de emplearse. |
Where the eye mixes empiezan and emplean
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence. empiezan runs 8 letters (VCCVVCVC) against emplean's 7 (VCCCVVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses empiezan with emplean
A purely visual mix-up. empiezan ([ẽmˈpjesãn]) and emplean ([ẽmˈpleãn]) 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 15098, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
empiezan is recorded at frequency rank #3,700, classified as averb, pronounced [ẽmˈpjesãn]. emplean is at rank #11,398, tagged as averb, pronounced [ẽmˈpleãn].
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 15098, this pair ranks #281,517 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of empiezan vs emplean
Shared letters: aemnp. Private to "empiezan": iz. Private to "emplean": l.
"empiezan" · 8 letters · shape VCCVVCVC · "emplean" · 7 letters · shape VCCCVVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "empiezan" for "emplean" ever safe?
Which is more common, "empiezan" or "emplean"?
What to do next
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "empiezan" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "emplean" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #281,517 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "empiezan" and "emplean" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "emplean vs emplee". 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 #281,517 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.