hacervshacerloWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#63
“hacer” frequency rank
#588
“hacerlo” frequency rank
651
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature hacer hacerlo
Definition Originar, crear, dar nacimiento. Hacer, con el enclítico lo (pronombre).

Where the spellings diverge

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

5 ch
hacer
7 ch
hacerlo

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. hacer ([aˈseɾ]) and hacerlo ([aˈseɾlo]) 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) - “hacer” sits inside “hacerlo”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 651, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

hacer is recorded at frequency rank #63, classified as averb, pronounced [aˈseɾ]. hacerlo is at rank #588, tagged as averb, pronounced [aˈseɾlo].

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 651, this pair ranks #323,138 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of hacer vs hacerlo

Shared letters: acehr. Private to "hacer": -. Private to "hacerlo": lo.

"hacer" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC  ·  "hacerlo" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • hacerahcer · haccer · hacerr · hacre · haecr · haser · hcaer · hhacer
  • hacerloahcerlo · haccerlo · hacelro · hacerllo · hacerol · hacerrlo · hacrelo · haecrlo

Frequency comparison

hacer#63
hacerlo#588

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "hacer" and "hacerlo" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([aˈseɾ] versus [aˈseɾlo]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "hacer" or "hacerlo"?
"hacer" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #63 in our Spanish list, against #588 for "hacerlo". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering hacer vs hacerlo

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 “hacer” 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