Which to use
“pasar” and “pasarse” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #381
- “pasar” frequency rank
- #15,682
- “pasarse” frequency rank
- 16063
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | pasar | pasarse |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Llevar de un lugar a otro. | Pasar (uso pronominal de ...) |
Where the eye mixes pasar and pasarse
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence.
Visual trap between pasar and pasarse
A purely visual mix-up. pasar ([paˈsaɾ]) and pasarse ([paˈsaɾse]) 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) - “pasar” sits inside “pasarse”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 16063, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
pasar is recorded at frequency rank #381, classified as averb, pronounced [paˈsaɾ]. pasarse is at rank #15,682, tagged as averb, pronounced [paˈsaɾse].
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 16063, this pair ranks #277,652 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of pasar vs pasarse
Shared letters: aprs. Private to "pasar": -. Private to "pasarse": e.
"pasar" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC · "pasarse" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "pasar" and "pasarse" mean the same thing in a sentence?
In ordinary Spanish text, does "pasar" or "pasarse" show up more?
Useful next steps
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "pasar" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "pasarse" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #277,652 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "pasar" and "pasarse" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "pasarse vs pasearse". 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 #277,652 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.