Which to use
“encender” and “extender” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #10,840
- “encender” frequency rank
- #7,717
- “extender” frequency rank
- 18557
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | encender | extender |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Iniciar una combustión. | Abrir algo de forma que ocupe más espacio que antes. |
Where the eye mixes encender and extender
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence.
Look-alike desk: encender vs extender
A purely visual mix-up. encender ([ẽnsẽn̪ˈd̪eɾ]) and extender ([ekst̪ẽn̪ˈd̪eɾ]) 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 18557, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
encender is recorded at frequency rank #10,840, classified as averb, pronounced [ẽnsẽn̪ˈd̪eɾ]. extender is at rank #7,717, tagged as averb, pronounced [ekst̪ẽn̪ˈd̪eɾ].
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 18557, this pair ranks #267,420 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of encender vs extender
Shared letters: denr. Private to "encender": c. Private to "extender": tx.
"encender" · 8 letters · shape VCCVCCVC · "extender" · 8 letters · shape VCCVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "encender" for "extender" ever safe?
Frequency check: "encender" vs "extender" - which ranks higher?
Useful next steps
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "encender" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "extender" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #267,420 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "encender" and "extender" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "encender vs entendés". 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 #267,420 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.