Which to use
“extinguir” and “extinguirse” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #33,121
- “extinguir” frequency rank
- #45,321
- “extinguirse” frequency rank
- 78442
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | extinguir | extinguirse |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Acabar con algo de forma que cese gradualmente, que desaparezca de a poco. | Acabarse algo de forma gradual. |
Where the eye mixes extinguir and extinguirse
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 9 letters in sequence. extinguir runs 9 letters (VCCVCCVVC) against extinguirse's 11 (VCCVCCVVCCV) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Visual trap between extinguir and extinguirse
A purely visual mix-up. extinguir ([ekst̪ĩŋˈgiɾ]) and extinguirse ([ekst̪ĩŋˈgiɾse]) 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) - “extinguir” sits inside “extinguirse”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 78442, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
extinguir is recorded at frequency rank #33,121, classified as averb, pronounced [ekst̪ĩŋˈgiɾ]. extinguirse is at rank #45,321, tagged as averb, pronounced [ekst̪ĩŋˈgiɾse].
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 78442, this pair ranks #14,448 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of extinguir vs extinguirse
Shared letters: eginrtux. Private to "extinguir": -. Private to "extinguirse": s.
"extinguir" · 9 letters · shape VCCVCCVVC · "extinguirse" · 11 letters · shape VCCVCCVVCCV
Known mistypes of this pair
- extinguir ← etxinguir · exitnguir · extignuir · extingguir · extingiur · extinguirr · extinguri · extinnguir
- extinguirse ← etxinguirse · exitnguirse · extignuirse · extingguirse · extingiurse · extinguirce · extinguires · extinguirrse
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "extinguir" and "extinguirse" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Frequency check: "extinguir" vs "extinguirse" - 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 "extinguir" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "extinguirse" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #14,448 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "extinguir" and "extinguirse" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "extingue vs extinguir". 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 #14,448 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.