oscurecevsoscurecerWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#36,721
“oscurece” frequency rank
#45,483
“oscurecer” frequency rank
82204
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature oscurece oscurecer
Definition Tercera persona del singular (él, ella, ello; usted, 2.ª persona) del presente de indicativo de oscurecer. Quitar o privar de luz o claridad a algo; hacer que sea o parezca oscuro o poco claro.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set oscurece and oscurecer apart are highlighted. They share 8 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

8 ch
oscurece
9 ch
oscurecer

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. oscurece ([oskuˈɾese]) and oscurecer ([oskuɾeˈseɾ]) 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) - “oscurece” sits inside “oscurecer”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 82204, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

oscurece is recorded at frequency rank #36,721, classified as averb, pronounced [oskuˈɾese]. oscurecer is at rank #45,483, tagged as averb, pronounced [oskuɾeˈseɾ].

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 82204, this pair ranks #9,495 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of oscurece vs oscurecer

Shared letters: ceorsu. Private to "oscurece": -. Private to "oscurecer": -.

"oscurece" · 8 letters · shape VCCVCVCV  ·  "oscurecer" · 9 letters · shape VCCVCVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • oscureceocsurece · osccurece · oscruece · oscuerce · oscurcee · oscurecce · oscureec · oscurese
  • oscurecerocsurecer · osccurecer · oscruecer · oscuercer · oscurceer · oscureccer · oscurecerr · oscurecre

Frequency comparison

oscurece#36,721
oscurecer#45,483

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "oscurece" and "oscurecer" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([oskuˈɾese] versus [oskuɾeˈseɾ]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "oscurece" or "oscurecer"?
"oscurece" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #36,721 in our Spanish list, against #45,483 for "oscurecer". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering oscurece vs oscurecer

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 “oscurece” 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