relajavsrelajarWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#23,574
“relaja” frequency rank
#26,594
“relajar” frequency rank
50168
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature relaja relajar
Definition Tercera persona del singular (él, ella, ello; usted, 2.ª persona) del presente de indicativo de relajar o de relajarse. Aflojar, ablandar, soltar.

Where the spellings diverge

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

6 ch
relaja
7 ch
relajar

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. relaja ([reˈlaxa]) and relajar ([relaˈxaɾ]) 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) - “relaja” sits inside “relajar”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 50168, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

relaja is recorded at frequency rank #23,574, classified as averb, pronounced [reˈlaxa]. relajar is at rank #26,594, tagged as averb, pronounced [relaˈxaɾ].

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 50168, this pair ranks #104,702 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of relaja vs relajar

Shared letters: aejlr. Private to "relaja": -. Private to "relajar": -.

"relaja" · 6 letters · shape CVCVCV  ·  "relajar" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • relajaerlaja · realja · relaaj · relajja · reljaa · rellaja · rleaja · rrelaja
  • relajarerlajar · realjar · relaajr · relajarr · relajjar · relajra · reljaar · rellajar

Frequency comparison

relaja#23,574
relajar#26,594

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "relaja" and "relajar" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([reˈlaxa] versus [relaˈxaɾ]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "relaja" or "relajar"?
"relaja" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #23,574 in our Spanish list, against #26,594 for "relajar". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering relaja vs relajar

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 “relaja” 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