Which to use
“encara” and “encarar” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #33,573
- “encara” frequency rank
- #16,569
- “encarar” frequency rank
- 50142
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | encara | encarar |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Tercera persona del singular (él, ella, ello; usted, 2.ª persona) del presente de indicativo de encarar. | Apuntar, dirigir a alguna parte la puntería. |
Where the eye mixes encara and encarar
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence. encara runs 6 letters (VCCVCV) against encarar's 7 (VCCVCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses encara with encarar
A purely visual mix-up. encara ([ẽŋˈkaɾa]) and encarar ([ẽŋkaˈɾaɾ]) 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 extra letter(s) - “encara” sits inside “encarar”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 50142, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
encara is recorded at frequency rank #33,573, classified as averb, pronounced [ẽŋˈkaɾa]. encarar is at rank #16,569, tagged as averb, pronounced [ẽŋkaˈɾaɾ].
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 50142, this pair ranks #104,859 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of encara vs encarar
Shared letters: acenr. Private to "encara": -. Private to "encarar": -.
"encara" · 6 letters · shape VCCVCV · "encarar" · 7 letters · shape VCCVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "encara" and "encarar" be used interchangeably?
In ordinary Spanish text, does "encara" or "encarar" show up more?
After this comparison
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "encara" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "encarar" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #104,859 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "encara" and "encarar" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "encara vs encarnar". 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 #104,859 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.