ocultarvsocultarseWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#5,023
“ocultar” frequency rank
#29,765
“ocultarse” frequency rank
34788
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature ocultar ocultarse
Definition Esconder algo a la vista. Ocultar (uso pronominal de ...)

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set ocultar and ocultarse apart are highlighted. They share 7 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

7 ch
ocultar
9 ch
ocultarse

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. ocultar ([okul̪ˈt̪aɾ]) and ocultarse ([okul̪ˈt̪aɾse]) 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 2 extra letter(s) - “ocultar” sits inside “ocultarse”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 34788, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

ocultar is recorded at frequency rank #5,023, classified as averb, pronounced [okul̪ˈt̪aɾ]. ocultarse is at rank #29,765, tagged as averb, pronounced [okul̪ˈt̪aɾse].

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 34788, this pair ranks #189,579 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of ocultar vs ocultarse

Shared letters: aclortu. Private to "ocultar": -. Private to "ocultarse": es.

"ocultar" · 7 letters · shape VCVCCVC  ·  "ocultarse" · 9 letters · shape VCVCCVCCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • ocultarcoultar · occultar · oclutar · oculatr · oculltar · ocultarr · ocultra · oculttar
  • ocultarsecoultarse · occultarse · oclutarse · oculatrse · oculltarse · ocultarce · ocultares · ocultarrse

Frequency comparison

ocultar#5,023
ocultarse#29,765

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "ocultar" and "ocultarse" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([okul̪ˈt̪aɾ] versus [okul̪ˈt̪aɾse]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "ocultar" or "ocultarse"?
"ocultar" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #5,023 in our Spanish list, against #29,765 for "ocultarse". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering ocultar vs ocultarse

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 “ocultar” 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 FrequencyWords open word-frequency list