Which to use
“aparecían” is a verb and “aparición” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #17,338
- “aparecían” frequency rank
- #3,300
- “aparición” frequency rank
- 20638
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | aparecían | aparición |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Tercera persona del plural (ellos, ellas; ustedes, 2.ª persona) del pretérito imperfecto de indicativo de aparecer o de aparecerse. | Acción o efecto de aparecer o de aparecerse (dejarse ver, presentarse en un lugar). |
Where the eye mixes aparecían and aparición
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence. aparecían and aparición follow the identical consonant-vowel pattern (VCVCVCVVC). Same shape at a glance is often the real trap, independent of shared letters.
Look-alike desk: aparecían vs aparición
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: aparecían is [apaɾeˈsiãn] while aparición is [apaɾiˈsjõn]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 3 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 20638, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
aparecían is recorded at frequency rank #17,338, classified as averb, pronounced [apaɾeˈsiãn]. aparición is at rank #3,300, tagged as anoun, pronounced [apaɾiˈsjõn].
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 20638, this pair ranks #258,438 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of aparecían vs aparición
Shared letters: acnpr. Private to "aparecían": eí. Private to "aparición": ió.
"aparecían" · 9 letters · shape VCVCVCVVC · "aparición" · 9 letters · shape VCVCVCVVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "aparecían" for "aparición" ever safe?
Frequency check: "aparecían" vs "aparición" - which ranks higher?
Useful next steps
Eye-level mix-up between "aparecían" and "aparición" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "aparecían" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "aparición" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #258,438 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "aparecían" and "aparición" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "aparecían vs aparecieran". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #258,438 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.