apuntarvsapuntenWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#11,162
“apuntar” frequency rank
#36,403
“apunten” frequency rank
47565
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature apuntar apunten
Definition Dirigir un arma hacia un objetivo. Tercera persona del plural (ellos, ellas; ustedes, 2.ª persona) del presente de subjuntivo de apuntar o de apuntarse.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set apuntar and apunten apart are highlighted. They share 5 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

7 ch
apuntar
7 ch
apunten

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. apuntar ([apũn̪ˈt̪aɾ]) and apunten ([aˈpũn̪t̪ẽn]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 47565, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

apuntar is recorded at frequency rank #11,162, classified as averb, pronounced [apũn̪ˈt̪aɾ]. apunten is at rank #36,403, tagged as averb, pronounced [aˈpũn̪t̪ẽn].

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 47565, this pair ranks #119,353 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of apuntar vs apunten

Shared letters: anptu. Private to "apuntar": r. Private to "apunten": e.

"apuntar" · 7 letters · shape VCVCCVC  ·  "apunten" · 7 letters · shape VCVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • apuntarapnutar · appuntar · apunatr · apunntar · apuntarr · apuntra · apunttar · aputnar
  • apuntenapnuten · appunten · apunetn · apunnten · apuntenn · apuntne · apuntten · aputnen

Frequency comparison

apuntar#11,162
apunten#36,403

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "apuntar" and "apunten" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([apũn̪ˈt̪aɾ] versus [aˈpũn̪t̪ẽn]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "apuntar" or "apunten"?
"apuntar" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #11,162 in our Spanish list, against #36,403 for "apunten". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering apuntar vs apunten

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 “apuntar” 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