Which to use
“cerré” and “cierro” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #21,251
- “cerré” frequency rank
- #17,070
- “cierro” frequency rank
- 38321
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | cerré | cierro |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Primera persona del singular (yo) del pretérito perfecto simple de indicativo de cerrar o de cerrarse. | Primera persona del singular (yo) del presente de indicativo de cerrar o de cerrarse. |
Where the eye mixes cerré and cierro
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence. cerré runs 5 letters (CVCCV) against cierro's 6 (CVVCCV) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses cerré with cierro
A purely visual mix-up. cerré ([seˈre]) and cierro ([ˈsjero]) 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 38321, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
cerré is recorded at frequency rank #21,251, classified as averb, pronounced [seˈre]. cierro is at rank #17,070, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈsjero].
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 38321, this pair ranks #170,665 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of cerré vs cierro
Shared letters: cer. Private to "cerré": é. Private to "cierro": io.
"cerré" · 5 letters · shape CVCCV · "cierro" · 6 letters · shape CVVCCV
Known mistypes of this pair
- cierro ← ccierro · ceirro · ciero · cieror · cirero · icerro · sierro
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "cerré" for "cierro" ever safe?
Which is more common, "cerré" or "cierro"?
Useful next steps
Eye-level mix-up between "cerré" and "cierro" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "cerré" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "cierro" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #170,665 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "cerré" and "cierro" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "catre vs cerré". 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 #170,665 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.