sobresalevssobresalirWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#22,869
“sobresale” frequency rank
#34,784
“sobresalir” frequency rank
57653
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature sobresale sobresalir
Definition Tercera persona del singular (él, ella, ello; usted, 2.ª persona) del presente de indicativo de sobresalir. Destacar o diferenciarse dentro de un grupo de personas o cosas. En especial si es por tener un mayor altura o tamaño.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set sobresale and sobresalir apart are highlighted. They share 8 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

9 ch
sobresale
10 ch
sobresalir

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. sobresale ([soβ̞ɾeˈsale]) and sobresalir ([soβ̞ɾesaˈliɾ]) 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 57653, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

sobresale is recorded at frequency rank #22,869, classified as averb, pronounced [soβ̞ɾeˈsale]. sobresalir is at rank #34,784, tagged as averb, pronounced [soβ̞ɾesaˈliɾ].

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 57653, this pair ranks #69,635 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of sobresale vs sobresalir

Shared letters: abelors. Private to "sobresale": -. Private to "sobresalir": i.

"sobresale" · 9 letters · shape CVCCVCVCV  ·  "sobresalir" · 10 letters · shape CVCCVCVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • sobresaleosbresale · sboresale · sobbresale · sobersale · sobreasle · sobresael · sobresalle · sobreslae
  • sobresalirosbresalir · sboresalir · sobbresalir · sobersalir · sobreaslir · sobresailr · sobresalirr · sobresallir

Frequency comparison

sobresale#22,869
sobresalir#34,784

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "sobresale" and "sobresalir" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([soβ̞ɾeˈsale] versus [soβ̞ɾesaˈliɾ]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "sobresale" or "sobresalir"?
"sobresale" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #22,869 in our Spanish list, against #34,784 for "sobresalir". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering sobresale vs sobresalir

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 “sobresale” 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