Which to use
“fijarse” and “fíjate” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #17,967
- “fijarse” frequency rank
- #9,126
- “fíjate” frequency rank
- 27093
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | fijarse | fíjate |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Prestar atención a algo. | Segunda persona del singular (tú) del imperativo afirmativo de fijarse (con el pronombre enclítico). |
Where the eye mixes fijarse and fíjate
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence. fijarse runs 7 letters (CVCVCCV) against fíjate's 6 (CVCVCV) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses fijarse with fíjate
A purely visual mix-up. fijarse ([fiˈxaɾse]) and fíjate ([ˈfixat̪e]) 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 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 27093, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
fijarse is recorded at frequency rank #17,967, classified as averb, pronounced [fiˈxaɾse]. fíjate is at rank #9,126, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈfixat̪e].
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 27093, this pair ranks #228,484 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of fijarse vs fíjate
Shared letters: aefj. Private to "fijarse": irs. Private to "fíjate": tí.
"fijarse" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCCV · "fíjate" · 6 letters · shape CVCVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
- fijarse ← ffijarse · fiajrse · fijarce · fijares · fijarrse · fijarsse · fijasre · fijjarse
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "fijarse" for "fíjate" ever safe?
Which is more common, "fijarse" or "fíjate"?
After this comparison
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "fijarse" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "fíjate" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #228,484 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "fijarse" and "fíjate" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "fijará vs fijarse". 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 #228,484 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.