abrasvsabríanWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#27,075
“abras” frequency rank
#33,906
“abrían” frequency rank
60981
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature abras abrían
Definition Segunda persona del singular (tú) del presente de subjuntivo de abrir o de abrirse. Tercera persona del plural (ellos, ellas; ustedes, 2.ª persona) del pretérito imperfecto de indicativo de abrir o de abrirse.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set abras and abrían apart are highlighted. They share 4 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

5 ch
abras
6 ch
abrían

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. abras ([ˈaβ̞ɾas]) and abrían ([aˈβ̞ɾiãn]) 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 60981, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

abras is recorded at frequency rank #27,075, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈaβ̞ɾas]. abrían is at rank #33,906, tagged as averb, pronounced [aˈβ̞ɾiãn].

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 60981, this pair ranks #57,036 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of abras vs abrían

Shared letters: abr. Private to "abras": s. Private to "abrían": .

"abras" · 5 letters · shape VCCVC  ·  "abrían" · 6 letters · shape VCCVVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • abrasabars · abbras · abrass · abrras · abrsa · arbas

Frequency comparison

abras#27,075
abrían#33,906

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "abras" and "abrían" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈaβ̞ɾas] versus [aˈβ̞ɾiãn]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "abras" or "abrían"?
"abras" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #27,075 in our Spanish list, against #33,906 for "abrían". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering abras vs abrían

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 “abras” 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