Which to use
“obliga” is a verb and “obligada” is a participle - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #4,444
- “obliga” frequency rank
- #7,604
- “obligada” frequency rank
- 12048
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | obliga | obligada |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Tercera persona del singular (él, ella, ello; usted, 2.ª persona) del presente de indicativo de obligar o de obligarse. | Forma del femenino de obligado, participio de obligar o de obligarse. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set obliga and obligada apart are highlighted. They share 6 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: obliga is [oˈβ̞liɣ̞a] while obligada is [oβ̞liˈɣ̞að̞a]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 2 extra letter(s) - “obliga” sits inside “obligada”, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs participle), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 12048, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
obliga is recorded at frequency rank #4,444, classified as averb, pronounced [oˈβ̞liɣ̞a]. obligada is at rank #7,604, tagged as aparticiple, pronounced [oβ̞liˈɣ̞að̞a].
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 12048, this pair ranks #292,928 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of obliga vs obligada
Shared letters: abgilo. Private to "obliga": -. Private to "obligada": d.
"obliga" · 6 letters · shape VCCVCV · "obligada" · 8 letters · shape VCCVCVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "obliga" and "obligada" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "obliga" or "obligada"?
Remembering obliga vs obligada
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “obliga”; for a participle, it's “obligada”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “obliga” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable