Which to use
“caían” and “cesan” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #22,295
- “caían” frequency rank
- #40,706
- “cesan” frequency rank
- 63001
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | caían | cesan |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Tercera persona del plural (ellos, ellas; ustedes, 2.ª persona) del pretérito imperfecto de indicativo de caer o de caerse. | Tercera persona del plural (ellos, ellas; ustedes, 2.ª persona) del presente de indicativo de cesar. |
Where the eye mixes caían and cesan
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence. caían (CVVVC) and cesan (CVCVC) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Why the eye confuses caían with cesan
A purely visual mix-up. caían ([kaˈiãn]) and cesan ([ˈsesãn]) 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 63001, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
caían is recorded at frequency rank #22,295, classified as averb, pronounced [kaˈiãn]. cesan is at rank #40,706, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈsesãn].
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 63001, this pair ranks #50,167 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of caían vs cesan
Shared letters: acn. Private to "caían": í. Private to "cesan": es.
"caían" · 5 letters · shape CVVVC · "cesan" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- cesan ← ccesan · ceasn · cesann · cesna · cessan · csean · ecsan · sesan
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "caían" for "cesan" ever safe?
Frequency check: "caían" vs "cesan" - which ranks higher?
After this comparison
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "caían" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "cesan" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #50,167 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "caían" and "cesan" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "ceba vs cesan". 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 #50,167 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.