distinguir

Name: distinguir, Spanish Word Data
Creator: Wiktionary
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

[d̪ist̪ĩŋˈgiɾ]

/[d̪ist̪ĩŋˈgiɾ]/ verb

By PlainSpell Editorial Team · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) · analyzed May 6, 2026

The verdict

“distinguir” is a regularly-used Spanish word, ranked #7,147 in Spanish word frequency and used as a verb.

#7,147
frequency rank, Spanish: 10
letters: 15
tracked misspellings: 8
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Percibir una cosa en medio de otras, o de circunstancias como el ruido, la oscuridad, etc. que lo dificultan, con alguno de los sentidos.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

distinguir vs distinguirse

83% similar

distinguir vs disminuir

80% similar

distinguir vs distingue

80% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for distinguir
Property	Value
Headword	distinguir
Language	Spanish
Part of speech	Verb
IPA	[d̪ist̪ĩŋˈgiɾ]
Letters	10
Frequency rank	#7,147
Misspellings tracked	15
Confusable pairs	8
Source	Wiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “distinguir” sits in Spanish frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right). distinguir lands here:

#7,147

#1#100#1K#10K#100K

← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The Spanish entry for distinguir is 10 letters long, classified as a verb, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as [d̪ist̪ĩŋˈgiɾ]. Corpus data places it at rank #7,147 in overall Spanish word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 6 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 15 likely wrong-spelling variants for distinguir, with forms such as "ddistinguir", "disitnguir", and "disstinguir". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 8 confusable-pair relationships, "distinguirse", "disminuir", "distingue", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

This headword's origin isn't recorded in our source data, so its spelling is easiest to reason about phoneme by phoneme, absent a documented history. The correct Spanish form is distinguir, spelled D-I-S-T-I-N-G-U-I-R.

Definition

1
Percibir una cosa en medio de otras, o de circunstancias como el ruido, la oscuridad, etc. que lo dificultan, con alguno de los sentidos.
2
Poder ver o comprender la diferencia entre dos cosas.
3
Hacer que una cosa sea diferente de otras.
4
Otorgar una cualidad o característica individual.
5
Demostrar especial estima hacia una persona.
6
Otorgar un honor o dignidad a una persona.

Synonyms

divisar notar percibir diferenciar discernir discriminar diferenciar marcar señalar caracterizar preferir honrarpremiar

Antonyms

confundir

This word in other languages

distinguish(English)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: ddistinguir,disitnguir,disstinguir,distignuir,distingguir,distingiur,distinguirr,distinguri,distinnguir,distinugir,distniguir,disttinguir,ditsinguir,dsitinguir,idstinguir

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of distinguir - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

Edit distance from "distinguir"

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 Spanish corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "distinguir"?

"distinguir" is spelled D-I-S-T-I-N-G-U-I-R. The IPA pronunciation is [d̪ist̪ĩŋˈgiɾ].

What does "distinguir" mean?

As a verb, "distinguir" means: Percibir una cosa en medio de otras, o de circunstancias como el ruido, la oscuridad, etc. que lo dificultan, con alguno de los sentidos.

What words are commonly confused with "distinguir"?

"distinguir" is commonly confused with "distinguirse", "disminuir", "distingue". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.

How do you pronounce "distinguir"?

The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "distinguir" is [d̪ist̪ĩŋˈgiɾ]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.

What language does "distinguir" come from?

"distinguir" is a Spanish word. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for this and other words across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German on PlainSpell.

Is PlainSpell free to use?

Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Using “distinguir”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

The one correct Spanish spelling is D-I-S-T-I-N-G-U-I-R - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
Say it as [d̪ist̪ĩŋˈgiɾ] (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
Don't mix it up with “distinguirse” - see the side-by-side comparison. distinguir vs distinguirse
Browse more Spanish words and confusable pairs in the same reference. Spanish words

Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.