Which to use
“molestar” and “molestarse” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #7,759
- “molestar” frequency rank
- #34,683
- “molestarse” frequency rank
- 42442
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | molestar | molestarse |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Causar molestias o incomodidades de alguna clase. | Molestar (uso pronominal de ...) |
Where the eye mixes molestar and molestarse
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 8 letters in sequence. molestar runs 8 letters (CVCVCCVC) against molestarse's 10 (CVCVCCVCCV) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Look-alike desk: molestar vs molestarse
A purely visual mix-up. molestar ([molesˈt̪aɾ]) and molestarse ([molesˈt̪aɾse]) 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) - “molestar” sits inside “molestarse”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 42442, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
molestar is recorded at frequency rank #7,759, classified as averb, pronounced [molesˈt̪aɾ]. molestarse is at rank #34,683, tagged as averb, pronounced [molesˈt̪aɾse].
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 42442, this pair ranks #148,185 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of molestar vs molestarse
Shared letters: aelmorst. Private to "molestar": -. Private to "molestarse": -.
"molestar" · 8 letters · shape CVCVCCVC · "molestarse" · 10 letters · shape CVCVCCVCCV
Known mistypes of this pair
- molestar ← mloestar · mmolestar · moelstar · molesatr · molesstar · molestarr · molestra · molesttar
- molestarse ← mloestarse · mmolestarse · moelstarse · molesatrse · molesstarse · molestarce · molestares · molestarrse
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "molestar" and "molestarse" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Frequency check: "molestar" vs "molestarse" - which ranks higher?
After this comparison
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "molestar" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "molestarse" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #148,185 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "molestar" and "molestarse" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "molestaron vs molestarse". 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 #148,185 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.