Which to use
“cambiar” and “cambies” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #668
- “cambiar” frequency rank
- #17,063
- “cambies” frequency rank
- 17731
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | cambiar | cambies |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Sustituir una cosa por otra. Dejar un estado, cosa o situación para tomar otra. | Segunda persona del singular (tú) del presente de subjuntivo de cambiar. |
Where the eye mixes cambiar and cambies
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses cambiar with cambies
A purely visual mix-up. cambiar ([kãmˈbjaɾ]) and cambies ([ˈkãmbjes]) 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 17731, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
cambiar is recorded at frequency rank #668, classified as averb, pronounced [kãmˈbjaɾ]. cambies is at rank #17,063, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈkãmbjes].
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 17731, this pair ranks #270,938 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of cambiar vs cambies
Shared letters: abcim. Private to "cambiar": r. Private to "cambies": es.
"cambiar" · 7 letters · shape CVCCVVC · "cambies" · 7 letters · shape CVCCVVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "cambiar" for "cambies" ever safe?
Which is more common, "cambiar" or "cambies"?
Useful next steps
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "cambiar" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "cambies" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #270,938 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "cambiar" and "cambies" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "cambies vs caries". 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 #270,938 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.