Which to use
“cavando” and “cayendo” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #39,629
- “cavando” frequency rank
- #6,150
- “cayendo” frequency rank
- 45779
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | cavando | cayendo |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Gerundio de cavar. | Gerundio irregular de caer. |
Where the eye mixes cavando and cayendo
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence. cavando (CVCVCCV) and cayendo (CVVVCCV) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Why the eye confuses cavando with cayendo
A purely visual mix-up. cavando ([kaˈβ̞ãn̪d̪o]) and cayendo ([kaˈʝẽn̪d̪o]) 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 45779, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
cavando is recorded at frequency rank #39,629, classified as averb, pronounced [kaˈβ̞ãn̪d̪o]. cayendo is at rank #6,150, tagged as averb, pronounced [kaˈʝẽn̪d̪o].
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 45779, this pair ranks #129,499 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of cavando vs cayendo
Shared letters: acdno. Private to "cavando": v. Private to "cayendo": ey.
"cavando" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCCV · "cayendo" · 7 letters · shape CVVVCCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "cavando" for "cayendo" ever safe?
In ordinary Spanish text, does "cavando" or "cayendo" show up more?
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 "cavando" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "cayendo" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #129,499 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "cavando" and "cayendo" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "callando vs cavando". 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 #129,499 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.