lanzarvslanzarseTell them apart

Which to use

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

#4,438
“lanzar” frequency rank
#19,159
“lanzarse” frequency rank
23597
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature lanzar lanzarse
Definition Arrojar, empujar algo para dotarle de una velocidad inicial y que recorra una distancia. Lanzar (uso pronominal de ...)

Where the eye mixes lanzar and lanzarse

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence.

6 ch
lanzar
8 ch
lanzarse

Visual trap between lanzar and lanzarse

A purely visual mix-up. lanzar ([lãnˈsaɾ]) and lanzarse ([lãnˈsaɾse]) 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) - “lanzar” sits inside “lanzarse”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 23597, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

lanzar is recorded at frequency rank #4,438, classified as averb, pronounced [lãnˈsaɾ]. lanzarse is at rank #19,159, tagged as averb, pronounced [lãnˈsaɾse].

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 23597, this pair ranks #245,035 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of lanzar vs lanzarse

Shared letters: alnrz. Private to "lanzar": -. Private to "lanzarse": es.

"lanzar" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC  ·  "lanzarse" · 8 letters · shape CVCCVCCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • lanzaralnzar · lanazr · lannzar · lanzarr · lanzra · lanzzar · laznar · llanzar
  • lanzarsealnzarse · lanazrse · lannzarse · lanzarce · lanzares · lanzarrse · lanzarsse · lanzasre

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "lanzar" and "lanzarse" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([lãnˈsaɾ] versus [lãnˈsaɾse]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "lanzar" or "lanzarse"?
"lanzar" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #4,438 in our Spanish list, against #19,159 for "lanzarse". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Useful next steps

Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.

  • Full dictionary entry for "lanzar" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "lanzarse" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #245,035 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "lanzar" and "lanzarse" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "lanzarse vs largarse". 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 #245,035 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list