Which to use
“obligado” is an adjective and “obligar” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #3,134
- “obligado” frequency rank
- #9,002
- “obligar” frequency rank
- 12136
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | obligado | obligar |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Agradecido. | Atar, ligar, precisar, mover eficazmente a alguna cosa, aunque sea repugnante al gusto y genio del que la ha de ejecutar. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set obligado and obligar apart are highlighted. They share 6 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
obligado and obligar form a confusable pair in the Spanish index, two distinct headwords that are easily confused because they look alike, sound alike, or both. They differ by 1 letter(s) in length - close enough that the eye skips over the difference, far enough that meaning fully diverges. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 12136, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
obligado is recorded at frequency rank #3,134, classified as anadj, pronounced [oβ̞liˈɣ̞að̞o]. obligar is at rank #9,002, tagged as averb, pronounced [oβ̞liˈɣ̞aɾ].
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 12136, this pair ranks #292,610 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "obligado" and "obligar" be used interchangeably?
Remembering obligado vs obligar
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need an adjective, it's “obligado”; for a verb, it's “obligar”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “obligado” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable