Which to use
“cadena” is a noun and “ceden” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #1,539
- “cadena” frequency rank
- #35,407
- “ceden” frequency rank
- 36946
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | cadena | ceden |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Serie de objetos entrelazados uno después de otro, especialmente eslabones metálicos. | Tercera persona del plural (ellos, ellas; ustedes, 2.ª persona) del presente de indicativo de ceder. |
Where the eye mixes cadena and ceden
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence.
Visual trap between cadena and ceden
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: cadena is [kaˈð̞ena] while ceden is [ˈseð̞ẽn]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (noun vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 36946, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
cadena is recorded at frequency rank #1,539, classified as anoun, pronounced [kaˈð̞ena]. ceden is at rank #35,407, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈseð̞ẽn].
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 36946, this pair ranks #177,943 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of cadena vs ceden
Shared letters: cden. Private to "cadena": a. Private to "ceden": -.
"cadena" · 6 letters · shape CVCVCV · "ceden" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "cadena" and "ceden" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "cadena" or "ceden"?
What to do next
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "cadena" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "ceden" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #177,943 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "cadena" and "ceden" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "ceden vs cederá". 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 #177,943 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.