caístevscreísteConfusable pair

Which to use

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

#32,127
“caíste” frequency rank
#34,033
“creíste” frequency rank
66160
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature caíste creíste
Definition Segunda persona del singular (tú, vos) del pretérito perfecto simple de indicativo de caer o de caerse. Segunda persona del singular (tú, vos) del pretérito perfecto simple de indicativo de creer o de creerse.

Where the eye mixes caíste and creíste

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence. caíste runs 6 letters (CVVCCV) against creíste's 7 (CCVVCCV) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.

6 ch
caíste
7 ch
creíste

Why the eye confuses caíste with creíste

A purely visual mix-up. caíste ([kaˈist̪e]) and creíste ([kɾeˈist̪e]) 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 66160, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

caíste is recorded at frequency rank #32,127, classified as averb, pronounced [kaˈist̪e]. creíste is at rank #34,033, tagged as averb, pronounced [kɾeˈist̪e].

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 66160, this pair ranks #40,607 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of caíste vs creíste

Shared letters: cestí. Private to "caíste": a. Private to "creíste": r.

"caíste" · 6 letters · shape CVVCCV  ·  "creíste" · 7 letters · shape CCVVCCV

Frequently Asked Questions

Is swapping "caíste" for "creíste" ever safe?
No. They are said differently ([kaˈist̪e] versus [kɾeˈist̪e]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Frequency check: "caíste" vs "creíste" - which ranks higher?
"caíste" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #32,127 in our Spanish list, against #34,033 for "creíste". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

What to do next

Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.

  • Full dictionary entry for "caíste" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "creíste" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #40,607 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "caíste" and "creíste" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "creíste vs Cristi". Nearby pair

Confusion rank #40,607 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list