centrevscerréWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#15,041
“centre” frequency rank
#21,251
“cerré” frequency rank
36292
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature centre cerré
Definition Primera persona del singular (yo) del presente de subjuntivo de centrar. Primera persona del singular (yo) del pretérito perfecto simple de indicativo de cerrar o de cerrarse.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set centre and cerré apart are highlighted. They share 3 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

6 ch
centre
5 ch
cerré

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. centre ([ˈsẽn̪t̪ɾe]) and cerré ([seˈre]) 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 36292, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

centre is recorded at frequency rank #15,041, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈsẽn̪t̪ɾe]. cerré is at rank #21,251, tagged as averb, pronounced [seˈre].

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 36292, this pair ranks #181,405 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of centre vs cerré

Shared letters: cer. Private to "centre": nt. Private to "cerré": é.

"centre" · 6 letters · shape CVCCCV  ·  "cerré" · 5 letters · shape CVCCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • centreccentre · cenntre · cenrte · centrre · centtre · cetnre · cnetre · ecntre

Frequency comparison

centre#15,041
cerré#21,251

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "centre" and "cerré" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈsẽn̪t̪ɾe] versus [seˈre]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "centre" or "cerré"?
"centre" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #15,041 in our Spanish list, against #21,251 for "cerré". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering centre vs cerré

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “centre” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list