Which to use
“encantar” and “espantar” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #18,236
- “encantar” frequency rank
- #35,027
- “espantar” frequency rank
- 53263
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | encantar | espantar |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | En los cuentos para niños y en algunos mitos, someter a una persona a poderes mágicos malignos. | Causar espanto, dar susto, infundir miedo. |
Where the eye mixes encantar and espantar
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence. encantar and espantar follow the identical consonant-vowel pattern (VCCVCCVC). Same shape at a glance is often the real trap, independent of shared letters.
Look-alike desk: encantar vs espantar
A purely visual mix-up. encantar ([ẽŋkãn̪ˈt̪aɾ]) and espantar ([espãn̪ˈt̪aɾ]) 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 53263, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
encantar is recorded at frequency rank #18,236, classified as averb, pronounced [ẽŋkãn̪ˈt̪aɾ]. espantar is at rank #35,027, tagged as averb, pronounced [espãn̪ˈt̪aɾ].
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 53263, this pair ranks #88,742 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of encantar vs espantar
Shared letters: aenrt. Private to "encantar": c. Private to "espantar": ps.
"encantar" · 8 letters · shape VCCVCCVC · "espantar" · 8 letters · shape VCCVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "encantar" and "espantar" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Which is more common, "encantar" or "espantar"?
Useful next steps
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "encantar" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "espantar" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #88,742 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "encantar" and "espantar" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "encantar vs encauzar". 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 #88,742 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.