Which to use
“empiezo” is a verb and “empleo” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #6,775
- “empiezo” frequency rank
- #1,310
- “empleo” frequency rank
- 8085
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | empiezo | empleo |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Primera persona del singular (yo) del presente de indicativo de empezar. | Acción o efecto de emplear |
Where the eye mixes empiezo and empleo
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence. empiezo runs 7 letters (VCCVVCV) against empleo's 6 (VCCCVV) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Look-alike desk: empiezo vs empleo
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: empiezo is [ẽmˈpjeso] while empleo is [ẽmˈpleo]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 8085, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
empiezo is recorded at frequency rank #6,775, classified as averb, pronounced [ẽmˈpjeso]. empleo is at rank #1,310, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ẽmˈpleo].
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 8085, this pair ranks #306,048 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of empiezo vs empleo
Shared letters: emop. Private to "empiezo": iz. Private to "empleo": l.
"empiezo" · 7 letters · shape VCCVVCV · "empleo" · 6 letters · shape VCCCVV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "empiezo" and "empleo" mean the same thing in a sentence?
In ordinary Spanish text, does "empiezo" or "empleo" show up more?
What to do next
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "empiezo" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "empleo" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #306,048 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "empiezo" and "empleo" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "emplee vs empleo". 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 #306,048 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.