modificarvsmodificarseWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#5,334
“modificar” frequency rank
#38,822
“modificarse” frequency rank
44156
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature modificar modificarse
Definition cambiar algo. Modificar (uso pronominal de ...)

Where the eye mixes modificar and modificarse

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 9 letters in sequence.

9 ch
modificar
11 ch
modificarse

Look-alike desk: modificar vs modificarse

A purely visual mix-up. modificar ([moð̞ifiˈkaɾ]) and modificarse ([moð̞ifiˈkaɾse]) 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) - “modificar” sits inside “modificarse”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 44156, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

modificar is recorded at frequency rank #5,334, classified as averb, pronounced [moð̞ifiˈkaɾ]. modificarse is at rank #38,822, tagged as averb, pronounced [moð̞ifiˈkaɾse].

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 44156, this pair ranks #138,617 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of modificar vs modificarse

Shared letters: acdfimor. Private to "modificar": -. Private to "modificarse": es.

"modificar" · 9 letters · shape CVCVCVCVC  ·  "modificarse" · 11 letters · shape CVCVCVCVCCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • modificarmdoificar · mmodificar · moddificar · modfiicar · modifciar · modifficar · modifiacr · modificarr
  • modificarsemdoificarse · mmodificarse · moddificarse · modfiicarse · modifciarse · modifficarse · modifiacrse · modificarce

Frequently Asked Questions

Is swapping "modificar" for "modificarse" ever safe?
No. They are said differently ([moð̞ifiˈkaɾ] versus [moð̞ifiˈkaɾse]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Frequency check: "modificar" vs "modificarse" - which ranks higher?
"modificar" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #5,334 in our Spanish list, against #38,822 for "modificarse". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

After this comparison

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

  • Full dictionary entry for "modificar" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "modificarse" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #138,617 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "modificar" and "modificarse" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "modificaron vs modificarse". 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 #138,617 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