Which to use
“preguntar” and “preguntarse” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #2,575
- “preguntar” frequency rank
- #12,676
- “preguntarse” frequency rank
- 15251
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | preguntar | preguntarse |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Requerir información, formular preguntas. | Preguntar (uso pronominal de ...) |
Where the eye mixes preguntar and preguntarse
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 9 letters in sequence. preguntar runs 9 letters (CCVCVCCVC) against preguntarse's 11 (CCVCVCCVCCV) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses preguntar with preguntarse
A purely visual mix-up. preguntar ([pɾeɣ̞ũn̪ˈt̪aɾ]) and preguntarse ([pɾeɣ̞ũn̪ˈt̪aɾse]) 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) - “preguntar” sits inside “preguntarse”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 15251, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
preguntar is recorded at frequency rank #2,575, classified as averb, pronounced [pɾeɣ̞ũn̪ˈt̪aɾ]. preguntarse is at rank #12,676, tagged as averb, pronounced [pɾeɣ̞ũn̪ˈt̪aɾse].
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 15251, this pair ranks #280,938 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of preguntar vs preguntarse
Shared letters: aegnprtu. Private to "preguntar": -. Private to "preguntarse": s.
"preguntar" · 9 letters · shape CCVCVCCVC · "preguntarse" · 11 letters · shape CCVCVCCVCCV
Known mistypes of this pair
- preguntar ← perguntar · ppreguntar · pregguntar · pregnutar · pregunatr · pregunntar · preguntarr · preguntra
- preguntarse ← perguntarse · ppreguntarse · pregguntarse · pregnutarse · pregunatrse · pregunntarse · preguntarce · preguntares
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "preguntar" and "preguntarse" be used interchangeably?
In ordinary Spanish text, does "preguntar" or "preguntarse" show up more?
What to do next
Eye-level mix-up between "preguntar" and "preguntarse" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "preguntar" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "preguntarse" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #280,938 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "preguntar" and "preguntarse" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "preguntarán vs preguntarse". 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 #280,938 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.