mirarvsmirarloWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#1,581
“mirar” frequency rank
#16,645
“mirarlo” frequency rank
18226
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature mirar mirarlo
Definition Fijar la vista en un objeto, aplicando juntamente la atención. Mirar, con el enclítico lo (pronombre).

Where the spellings diverge

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

5 ch
mirar
7 ch
mirarlo

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. mirar ([miˈɾaɾ]) and mirarlo ([miˈɾaɾlo]) 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) - “mirar” sits inside “mirarlo”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 18226, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

mirar is recorded at frequency rank #1,581, classified as averb, pronounced [miˈɾaɾ]. mirarlo is at rank #16,645, tagged as averb, pronounced [miˈɾaɾlo].

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 18226, this pair ranks #268,809 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of mirar vs mirarlo

Shared letters: aimr. Private to "mirar": -. Private to "mirarlo": lo.

"mirar" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC  ·  "mirarlo" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • mirarimrar · miarr · mirarr · mirra · mirrar · mmirar · mriar
  • mirarloimrarlo · miarrlo · miralro · mirarllo · mirarol · mirarrlo · mirralo · mirrarlo

Frequency comparison

mirar#1,581
mirarlo#16,645

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "mirar" and "mirarlo" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([miˈɾaɾ] versus [miˈɾaɾlo]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "mirar" or "mirarlo"?
"mirar" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #1,581 in our Spanish list, against #16,645 for "mirarlo". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

Remembering mirar vs mirarlo

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 “mirar” 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