busquévsbusquenWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#11,367
“busqué” frequency rank
#9,248
“busquen” frequency rank
20615
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature busqué busquen
Definition Primera persona del singular (yo) del pretérito perfecto simple de indicativo de buscar. Tercera persona del plural (ellos, ellas; ustedes, 2.ª persona) del presente de subjuntivo de buscar.

Where the spellings diverge

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

6 ch
busqué
7 ch
busquen

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. busqué ([busˈke]) and busquen ([ˈbuskẽn]) 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 20615, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

busqué is recorded at frequency rank #11,367, classified as averb, pronounced [busˈke]. busquen is at rank #9,248, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈbuskẽn].

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 20615, this pair ranks #258,543 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of busqué vs busquen

Shared letters: bqsu. Private to "busqué": é. Private to "busquen": en.

"busqué" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVV  ·  "busquen" · 7 letters · shape CVCCVVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • busquenbbusquen · bsuquen · buqsuen · busqeun · busqquen · busquenn · busqune · bussquen

Frequency comparison

busqué#11,367
busquen#9,248

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "busqué" and "busquen" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([busˈke] versus [ˈbuskẽn]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "busqué" or "busquen"?
"busquen" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #9,248 in our Spanish list, against #11,367 for "busqué". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering busqué vs busquen

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 “busqué” 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