Which to use
“lavar” and “lavarse” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #6,556
- “lavar” frequency rank
- #19,473
- “lavarse” frequency rank
- 26029
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | lavar | lavarse |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Limpiar con un medio líquido, especialmente con agua. | Lavar (uso pronominal de ...) |
Where the eye mixes lavar and lavarse
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence.
Look-alike desk: lavar vs lavarse
A purely visual mix-up. lavar ([laˈβ̞aɾ]) and lavarse ([laˈβ̞aɾse]) 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) - “lavar” sits inside “lavarse”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 26029, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
lavar is recorded at frequency rank #6,556, classified as averb, pronounced [laˈβ̞aɾ]. lavarse is at rank #19,473, tagged as averb, pronounced [laˈβ̞aɾse].
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 26029, this pair ranks #233,666 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of lavar vs lavarse
Shared letters: alrv. Private to "lavar": -. Private to "lavarse": es.
"lavar" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC · "lavarse" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "lavar" and "lavarse" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "lavar" or "lavarse"?
Useful next steps
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "lavar" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "lavarse" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #233,666 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "lavar" and "lavarse" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "largarse vs lavarse". 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 #233,666 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.