Which to use
“obliga” and “obligan” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #4,444
- “obliga” frequency rank
- #10,188
- “obligan” frequency rank
- 14632
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | obliga | obligan |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Tercera persona del singular (él, ella, ello; usted, 2.ª persona) del presente de indicativo de obligar o de obligarse. | Tercera persona del plural (ellos, ellas; ustedes, 2.ª persona) del presente de indicativo de obligar o de obligarse. |
Where the eye mixes obliga and obligan
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence. obliga runs 6 letters (VCCVCV) against obligan's 7 (VCCVCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Look-alike desk: obliga vs obligan
A purely visual mix-up. obliga ([oˈβ̞liɣ̞a]) and obligan ([oˈβ̞liɣ̞ãn]) 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 1 extra letter(s) - “obliga” sits inside “obligan”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 14632, 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]. obligan is at rank #10,188, tagged as averb, pronounced [oˈβ̞liɣ̞ãn].
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 14632, this pair ranks #283,367 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of obliga vs obligan
Shared letters: abgilo. Private to "obliga": -. Private to "obligan": n.
"obliga" · 6 letters · shape VCCVCV · "obligan" · 7 letters · shape VCCVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "obliga" and "obligan" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "obliga" or "obligan"?
After this comparison
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "obliga" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "obligan" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #283,367 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "obliga" and "obligan" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "obligaban vs obligan". 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 #283,367 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.