erigirvsexigirWhat's the difference?

Which to use

“erigir” and “exigir” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#30,458
“erigir” frequency rank
#4,245
“exigir” frequency rank
34703
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature erigir exigir
Definition Constituir, levantar un edificio; también fundar. Cobrar, percibir, sacar a alguien por autoridad pública dinero u otra cosa.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set erigir and exigir apart are highlighted. They share 5 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

6 ch
erigir
6 ch
exigir

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. erigir ([eɾiˈxiɾ]) and exigir ([eksiˈxiɾ]) 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 a single letter - r in “erigir” becomes x in “exigir”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 34703, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

erigir is recorded at frequency rank #30,458, classified as averb, pronounced [eɾiˈxiɾ]. exigir is at rank #4,245, tagged as averb, pronounced [eksiˈxiɾ].

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 34703, this pair ranks #190,022 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of erigir vs exigir

Shared letters: egir. Private to "erigir": -. Private to "exigir": x.

"erigir" · 6 letters · shape VCVCVC  ·  "exigir" · 6 letters · shape VCVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • erigireirgir · ergiir · eriggir · erigirr · erigri · eriigr · errigir · reigir
  • exigireixgir · exgiir · exiggir · exigirr · exigri · exiigr · exxigir · xeigir

Frequency comparison

erigir#30,458
exigir#4,245

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "erigir" and "exigir" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([eɾiˈxiɾ] versus [eksiˈxiɾ]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "erigir" or "exigir"?
"exigir" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #4,245 in our Spanish list, against #30,458 for "erigir". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering erigir vs exigir

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “erigir” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list