Which to use
“obligar” and “obligo” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #9,002
- “obligar” frequency rank
- #31,023
- “obligo” frequency rank
- 40025
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | obligar | obligo |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Atar, ligar, precisar, mover eficazmente a alguna cosa, aunque sea repugnante al gusto y genio del que la ha de ejecutar. | Primera persona del singular (yo) del presente de indicativo de obligar o de obligarse. |
Where the eye mixes obligar and obligo
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence. obligar runs 7 letters (VCCVCVC) against obligo's 6 (VCCVCV) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses obligar with obligo
A purely visual mix-up. obligar ([oβ̞liˈɣ̞aɾ]) and obligo ([oˈβ̞liɣ̞o]) 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 40025, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
obligar is recorded at frequency rank #9,002, classified as averb, pronounced [oβ̞liˈɣ̞aɾ]. obligo is at rank #31,023, tagged as averb, pronounced [oˈβ̞liɣ̞o].
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 40025, this pair ranks #161,344 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of obligar vs obligo
Shared letters: bgilo. Private to "obligar": ar. Private to "obligo": -.
"obligar" · 7 letters · shape VCCVCVC · "obligo" · 6 letters · shape VCCVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "obligar" and "obligo" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "obligar" or "obligo"?
What to do next
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "obligar" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "obligo" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #161,344 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "obligar" and "obligo" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "obligo vs obligue". 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 #161,344 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.