cesanvscitanWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#40,706
“cesan” frequency rank
#15,308
“citan” frequency rank
56014
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature cesan citan
Definition Tercera persona del plural (ellos, ellas; ustedes, 2.ª persona) del presente de indicativo de cesar. Tercera persona del plural (ellos, ellas; ustedes, 2.ª persona) del presente de indicativo de citar o de citarse.

Where the spellings diverge

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

5 ch
cesan
5 ch
citan

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. cesan ([ˈsesãn]) and citan ([ˈsit̪ãn]) 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 56014, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

cesan is recorded at frequency rank #40,706, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈsesãn]. citan is at rank #15,308, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈsit̪ãn].

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 56014, this pair ranks #76,383 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of cesan vs citan

Shared letters: acn. Private to "cesan": es. Private to "citan": it.

"cesan" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC  ·  "citan" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • cesanccesan · ceasn · cesann · cesna · cessan · csean · ecsan · sesan
  • citanccitan · ciatn · citann · cittan · ctian · ictan · sitan

Frequency comparison

cesan#40,706
citan#15,308

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "cesan" and "citan" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈsesãn] versus [ˈsit̪ãn]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "cesan" or "citan"?
"citan" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #15,308 in our Spanish list, against #40,706 for "cesan". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering cesan vs citan

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 “cesan” 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 FrequencyWords open word-frequency list