Which to use
“relajar” and “relajarse” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #26,594
- “relajar” frequency rank
- #18,962
- “relajarse” frequency rank
- 45556
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | relajar | relajarse |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Aflojar, ablandar, soltar. | Debilitarse alguna parte del cuerpo. |
Where the eye mixes relajar and relajarse
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence. relajar runs 7 letters (CVCVCVC) against relajarse's 9 (CVCVCVCCV) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses relajar with relajarse
A purely visual mix-up. relajar ([relaˈxaɾ]) and relajarse ([relaˈxaɾse]) 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) - “relajar” sits inside “relajarse”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 45556, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
relajar is recorded at frequency rank #26,594, classified as averb, pronounced [relaˈxaɾ]. relajarse is at rank #18,962, tagged as averb, pronounced [relaˈxaɾse].
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 45556, this pair ranks #130,790 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of relajar vs relajarse
Shared letters: aejlr. Private to "relajar": -. Private to "relajarse": s.
"relajar" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCVC · "relajarse" · 9 letters · shape CVCVCVCCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "relajar" for "relajarse" ever safe?
Which is more common, "relajar" or "relajarse"?
What to do next
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "relajar" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "relajarse" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #130,790 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "relajar" and "relajarse" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "relajar vs relaje". 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 #130,790 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.