obligavsobligueWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#4,444
“obliga” frequency rank
#20,142
“obligue” frequency rank
24586
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature obliga obligue
Definition Tercera persona del singular (él, ella, ello; usted, 2.ª persona) del presente de indicativo de obligar o de obligarse. Primera persona del singular (yo) del presente de subjuntivo de obligar o de obligarse.

Where the spellings diverge

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

6 ch
obliga
7 ch
obligue

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. obliga ([oˈβ̞liɣ̞a]) and obligue ([oˈβ̞liɣ̞e]) 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 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 24586, 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]. obligue is at rank #20,142, tagged as averb, pronounced [oˈβ̞liɣ̞e].

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 24586, this pair ranks #240,460 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of obliga vs obligue

Shared letters: bgilo. Private to "obliga": a. Private to "obligue": eu.

"obliga" · 6 letters · shape VCCVCV  ·  "obligue" · 7 letters · shape VCCVCVV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • obligaboliga · obbliga · obilga · oblgia · obliag · obligga · oblliga · olbiga
  • obligueboligue · obbligue · obilgue · oblgiue · obligeu · obliggue · obliuge · oblligue

Frequency comparison

obliga#4,444
obligue#20,142

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "obliga" and "obligue" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([oˈβ̞liɣ̞a] versus [oˈβ̞liɣ̞e]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "obliga" or "obligue"?
"obliga" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #4,444 in our Spanish list, against #20,142 for "obligue". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering obliga vs obligue

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 “obliga” 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