quedarsevsquemarseConfusable pair

Which to use

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

#2,363
“quedarse” frequency rank
#30,636
“quemarse” frequency rank
32999
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature quedarse quemarse
Definition Permanecer o estar durante algún tiempo en un lugar. Herirse o llagarse por efecto del fuego o del calor.

Where the eye mixes quedarse and quemarse

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence.

8 ch
quedarse
8 ch
quemarse

Look-alike desk: quedarse vs quemarse

A purely visual mix-up. quedarse ([keˈð̞aɾse]) and quemarse ([keˈmaɾse]) 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 a single letter - d in “quedarse” becomes m in “quemarse”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 32999, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

quedarse is recorded at frequency rank #2,363, classified as averb, pronounced [keˈð̞aɾse]. quemarse is at rank #30,636, tagged as averb, pronounced [keˈmaɾse].

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 32999, this pair ranks #199,092 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of quedarse vs quemarse

Shared letters: aeqrsu. Private to "quedarse": d. Private to "quemarse": m.

"quedarse" · 8 letters · shape CVVCVCCV  ·  "quemarse" · 8 letters · shape CVVCVCCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • quedarseqeudarse · qquedarse · qudearse · queadrse · quedarce · quedares · quedarrse · quedarsse
  • quemarseqeumarse · qquemarse · queamrse · quemarce · quemares · quemarrse · quemarsse · quemasre

Frequently Asked Questions

Is swapping "quedarse" for "quemarse" ever safe?
No. They are said differently ([keˈð̞aɾse] versus [keˈmaɾse]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "quedarse" or "quemarse"?
"quedarse" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #2,363 in our Spanish list, against #30,636 for "quemarse". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

What to do next

Eye-level mix-up between "quedarse" and "quemarse" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.

  • Full dictionary entry for "quedarse" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "quemarse" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #199,092 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "quedarse" and "quemarse" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "quedare vs quemarse". 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 #199,092 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list