cerrévscubreWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#21,251
“cerré” frequency rank
#4,496
“cubre” frequency rank
25747
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature cerré cubre
Definition Primera persona del singular (yo) del pretérito perfecto simple de indicativo de cerrar o de cerrarse. Tercera persona del singular (él, ella, ello; usted, 2.ª persona) del presente de indicativo de cubrir o de cubrirse.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set cerré and cubre apart are highlighted. They share 2 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

5 ch
cerré
5 ch
cubre

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. cerré ([seˈre]) and cubre ([ˈkuβ̞ɾe]) 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 3 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 25747, 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]. cubre is at rank #4,496, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈkuβ̞ɾe].

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 25747, this pair ranks #234,993 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of cerré vs cubre

Shared letters: cer. Private to "cerré": é. Private to "cubre": bu.

"cerré" · 5 letters · shape CVCCV  ·  "cubre" · 5 letters · shape CVCCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • cubrecbure · ccubre · cubbre · cuber · cubrre · curbe · cuvre · ucbre

Frequency comparison

cerré#21,251
cubre#4,496

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "cerré" and "cubre" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([seˈre] versus [ˈkuβ̞ɾe]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "cerré" or "cubre"?
"cubre" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #4,496 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 cerré vs cubre

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 “cerré” 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