ganarvsganarseWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#708
“ganar” frequency rank
#9,460
“ganarse” frequency rank
10168
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature ganar ganarse
Definition Obtener un beneficio económico. Ubicarse, situarse en un determinado lugar.

Where the spellings diverge

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

5 ch
ganar
7 ch
ganarse

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. ganar ([gaˈnaɾ]) and ganarse ([gaˈnaɾse]) 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) - “ganar” sits inside “ganarse”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 10168, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

ganar is recorded at frequency rank #708, classified as averb, pronounced [gaˈnaɾ]. ganarse is at rank #9,460, tagged as averb, pronounced [gaˈnaɾse].

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 10168, this pair ranks #299,587 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of ganar vs ganarse

Shared letters: agnr. Private to "ganar": -. Private to "ganarse": es.

"ganar" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC  ·  "ganarse" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • ganaragnar · gaanr · ganarr · gannar · ganra · gganar · gnaar
  • ganarseagnarse · gaanrse · ganarce · ganares · ganarrse · ganarsse · ganasre · gannarse

Frequency comparison

ganar#708
ganarse#9,460

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "ganar" and "ganarse" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([gaˈnaɾ] versus [gaˈnaɾse]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "ganar" or "ganarse"?
"ganar" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #708 in our Spanish list, against #9,460 for "ganarse". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

Remembering ganar vs ganarse

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 “ganar” 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 FrequencyWords open word-frequency list