riegovsriesgoWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#9,363
“riego” frequency rank
#1,155
“riesgo” frequency rank
10518
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature riego riesgo
Definition Acción o efecto de regar. Proximidad o posibilidad de que alguien o algo sufra un perjuicio o daño.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set riego and riesgo apart are highlighted. They share 5 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

5 ch
riego
6 ch
riesgo

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. riego ([ˈrjeɣ̞o]) and riesgo ([ˈrjesɣ̞o]) 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 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 10518, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

riego is recorded at frequency rank #9,363, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈrjeɣ̞o]. riesgo is at rank #1,155, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈrjesɣ̞o].

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 10518, this pair ranks #298,305 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of riego vs riesgo

Shared letters: egior. Private to "riego": -. Private to "riesgo": s.

"riego" · 5 letters · shape CVVCV  ·  "riesgo" · 6 letters · shape CVVCCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • riegoirego · reigo · rieggo · rieog · rigeo · rriego
  • riesgoiresgo · reisgo · riegso · riesggo · riesog · riessgo · risego · rriesgo

Frequency comparison

riego#9,363
riesgo#1,155

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "riego" and "riesgo" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈrjeɣ̞o] versus [ˈrjesɣ̞o]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "riego" or "riesgo"?
"riesgo" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #1,155 in our Spanish list, against #9,363 for "riego". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering riego vs riesgo

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 “riego” 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