figurar vs figure, What's the Difference?

Which to use

“figurar” is a verb and “figure” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#18,836
“figurar” frequency rank: #30,479
“figure” frequency rank: 49315
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature	figurar	figure
Definition	Disponer, delinear y formar la figura de una cosa.	Figura.

Where the spellings diverge

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

7 ch

figurar

6 ch

figure

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: figurar is [fiɣ̞uˈɾaɾ] while figure is /fi.ɡyʁ/. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 49315, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

figurar is recorded at frequency rank #18,836, classified as averb, pronounced [fiɣ̞uˈɾaɾ]. figure is at rank #30,479, tagged as anoun, pronounced /fi.ɡyʁ/.

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 49315, this pair ranks #109,544 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of figurar vs figure

Shared letters: fgiru. Private to "figurar": a. Private to "figure": e.

"figurar" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCVC · "figure" · 6 letters · shape CVCVCV

Known mistypes of this pair

figurar ← ffigurar · fgiurar · figgurar · figruar · figuarr · figurarr · figurrar · fiugrar
figure ← ffigure · fgiure · figgure · figrue · figuer · figurre · fiugre · ifgure

Frequency comparison

figurar#18,836

figure#30,479

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "figurar" and "figure" be used interchangeably?

No - they are not even the same part of speech. "figurar" is a verb and "figure" a noun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.

Which is more common, "figurar" or "figure"?

"figurar" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #18,836 in our Spanish list, against #30,479 for "figure". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering figurar vs figure

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “figurar”; for a noun, it's “figure”.
See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “figurar” entry
Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable