Which to use
“abre” and “abrir” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #2,099
- “abre” frequency rank
- #1,464
- “abrir” frequency rank
- 3563
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | abre | abrir |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Tercera persona del singular (él, ella, ello; usted, 2.ª persona) del presente de indicativo de abrir o de abrirse. | Remover la tapa o la cubierta de algo, haciéndolo visible. |
Where the eye mixes abre and abrir
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses abre with abrir
A purely visual mix-up. abre ([ˈaβ̞ɾe]) and abrir ([aˈβ̞ɾiɾ]) 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 3563, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
abre is recorded at frequency rank #2,099, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈaβ̞ɾe]. abrir is at rank #1,464, tagged as averb, pronounced [aˈβ̞ɾiɾ].
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 3563, this pair ranks #318,041 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of abre vs abrir
Shared letters: abr. Private to "abre": e. Private to "abrir": i.
"abre" · 4 letters · shape VCCV · "abrir" · 5 letters · shape VCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "abre" and "abrir" be used interchangeably?
In ordinary Spanish text, does "abre" or "abrir" show up more?
What to do next
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "abre" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "abrir" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #318,041 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "abre" and "abrir" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "abrace vs abre". Nearby pair
- Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes
Confusion rank #318,041 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.