tragarvstragarseWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#14,029
“tragar” frequency rank
#32,435
“tragarse” frequency rank
46464
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature tragar tragarse
Definition Hacer pasar algo a través de la garganta para que llegue al estómago, o realizar los movimientos musculares que típicamente se asocian con esta acción. Hacer pasar algo completamente a través de la garganta para que llegue al estómago, en especial de un modo brusco o atropellado.

Where the spellings diverge

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

6 ch
tragar
8 ch
tragarse

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. tragar ([t̪ɾaˈɣ̞aɾ]) and tragarse ([t̪ɾaˈɣ̞aɾse]) 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) - “tragar” sits inside “tragarse”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 46464, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

tragar is recorded at frequency rank #14,029, classified as averb, pronounced [t̪ɾaˈɣ̞aɾ]. tragarse is at rank #32,435, tagged as averb, pronounced [t̪ɾaˈɣ̞aɾse].

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 46464, this pair ranks #125,557 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of tragar vs tragarse

Shared letters: agrt. Private to "tragar": -. Private to "tragarse": es.

"tragar" · 6 letters · shape CCVCVC  ·  "tragarse" · 8 letters · shape CCVCVCCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • tragarrtagar · targar · traagr · tragarr · traggar · tragra · trgaar · trragar
  • tragarsertagarse · targarse · traagrse · tragarce · tragares · tragarrse · tragarsse · tragasre

Frequency comparison

tragar#14,029
tragarse#32,435

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "tragar" and "tragarse" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([t̪ɾaˈɣ̞aɾ] versus [t̪ɾaˈɣ̞aɾse]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "tragar" or "tragarse"?
"tragar" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #14,029 in our Spanish list, against #32,435 for "tragarse". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering tragar vs tragarse

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 “tragar” 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 FrequencyWords open word-frequency list