partirvspartirseWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#579
“partir” frequency rank
#49,846
“partirse” frequency rank
50425
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature partir partirse
Definition Hacer divisiones en un todo, de tal modo de separarlo en partes. Quedar dividido en dos o más partes.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set partir and partirse apart are highlighted. They share 6 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

6 ch
partir
8 ch
partirse

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. partir ([paɾˈt̪iɾ]) and partirse ([paɾˈt̪iɾse]) 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) - “partir” sits inside “partirse”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 50425, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

partir is recorded at frequency rank #579, classified as averb, pronounced [paɾˈt̪iɾ]. partirse is at rank #49,846, tagged as averb, pronounced [paɾˈt̪iɾse].

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 50425, this pair ranks #103,275 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of partir vs partirse

Shared letters: aiprt. Private to "partir": -. Private to "partirse": es.

"partir" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC  ·  "partirse" · 8 letters · shape CVCCVCCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • partiraprtir · paritr · parrtir · partirr · partri · parttir · patrir · ppartir
  • partirseaprtirse · paritrse · parrtirse · partirce · partires · partirrse · partirsse · partisre

Frequency comparison

partir#579
partirse#49,846

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "partir" and "partirse" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([paɾˈt̪iɾ] versus [paɾˈt̪iɾse]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "partir" or "partirse"?
"partir" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #579 in our Spanish list, against #49,846 for "partirse". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

Remembering partir vs partirse

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 “partir” 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