Which to use
“emplear” and “emplearse” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #8,653
- “emplear” frequency rank
- #28,743
- “emplearse” frequency rank
- 37396
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | emplear | emplearse |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Ocupar a uno encargándole algún negocio o puesto. | Ser empleado. |
Where the eye mixes emplear and emplearse
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence. emplear runs 7 letters (VCCCVVC) against emplearse's 9 (VCCCVVCCV) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses emplear with emplearse
A purely visual mix-up. emplear ([ẽmpleˈaɾ]) and emplearse ([ẽmpleˈaɾse]) 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 2 extra letter(s) - “emplear” sits inside “emplearse”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 37396, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
emplear is recorded at frequency rank #8,653, classified as averb, pronounced [ẽmpleˈaɾ]. emplearse is at rank #28,743, tagged as averb, pronounced [ẽmpleˈaɾse].
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 37396, this pair ranks #175,532 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of emplear vs emplearse
Shared letters: aelmpr. Private to "emplear": -. Private to "emplearse": s.
"emplear" · 7 letters · shape VCCCVVC · "emplearse" · 9 letters · shape VCCCVVCCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "emplear" for "emplearse" ever safe?
Frequency check: "emplear" vs "emplearse" - which ranks higher?
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 "emplear" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "emplearse" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #175,532 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "emplear" and "emplearse" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "emplear 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 #175,532 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.