busquenvsbusquesWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#9,248
“busquen” frequency rank
#12,533
“busques” frequency rank
21781
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature busquen busques
Definition Tercera persona del plural (ellos, ellas; ustedes, 2.ª persona) del presente de subjuntivo de buscar. Segunda persona del singular (tú) del presente de subjuntivo de buscar.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set busquen and busques apart are highlighted. They share 6 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

7 ch
busquen
7 ch
busques

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. busquen ([ˈbuskẽn]) and busques ([ˈbuskes]) 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 a single letter - n in “busquen” becomes s in “busques”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 21781, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

busquen is recorded at frequency rank #9,248, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈbuskẽn]. busques is at rank #12,533, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈbuskes].

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 21781, this pair ranks #253,369 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of busquen vs busques

Shared letters: beqsu. Private to "busquen": n. Private to "busques": -.

"busquen" · 7 letters · shape CVCCVVC  ·  "busques" · 7 letters · shape CVCCVVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • busquenbbusquen · bsuquen · buqsuen · busqeun · busqquen · busquenn · busqune · bussquen
  • busquesbbusques · bsuques · buqsues · busqeus · busqques · busquess · busquse · bussques

Frequency comparison

busquen#9,248
busques#12,533

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "busquen" and "busques" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈbuskẽn] versus [ˈbuskes]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "busquen" or "busques"?
"busquen" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #9,248 in our Spanish list, against #12,533 for "busques". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering busquen vs busques

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 “busquen” 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