Which to use
“enfocar” and “enfocarse” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #19,098
- “enfocar” frequency rank
- #21,658
- “enfocarse” frequency rank
- 40756
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | enfocar | enfocarse |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Ajustar la imagen de un objeto captada por un dispositivo o aparato óptico para que se reproduzca con claridad o nitidez. | Dirigir la atención hacia un aspecto o perspectiva particular respecto a un tema u objeto. |
Where the eye mixes enfocar and enfocarse
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence. enfocar runs 7 letters (VCCVCVC) against enfocarse's 9 (VCCVCVCCV) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses enfocar with enfocarse
A purely visual mix-up. enfocar ([ẽɱfoˈkaɾ]) and enfocarse ([ẽɱfoˈkaɾse]) 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) - “enfocar” sits inside “enfocarse”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 40756, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
enfocar is recorded at frequency rank #19,098, classified as averb, pronounced [ẽɱfoˈkaɾ]. enfocarse is at rank #21,658, tagged as averb, pronounced [ẽɱfoˈkaɾse].
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 40756, this pair ranks #157,377 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of enfocar vs enfocarse
Shared letters: acefnor. Private to "enfocar": -. Private to "enfocarse": s.
"enfocar" · 7 letters · shape VCCVCVC · "enfocarse" · 9 letters · shape VCCVCVCCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "enfocar" and "enfocarse" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Frequency check: "enfocar" vs "enfocarse" - which ranks higher?
Useful next steps
Eye-level mix-up between "enfocar" and "enfocarse" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "enfocar" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "enfocarse" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #157,377 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "enfocar" and "enfocarse" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "enfadarse vs enfocarse". 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 #157,377 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.