cesenvscrecenWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#45,189
“cesen” frequency rank
#7,839
“crecen” frequency rank
53028
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature cesen crecen
Definition Tercera persona del plural (ellos, ellas; ustedes, 2.ª persona) del presente de subjuntivo de cesar. Tercera persona del plural (ellos, ellas; ustedes, 2.ª persona) del presente de indicativo de crecer.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set cesen and crecen apart are highlighted. They share 4 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

5 ch
cesen
6 ch
crecen

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. cesen ([ˈsesẽn]) and crecen ([ˈkɾesẽn]) 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 53028, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

cesen is recorded at frequency rank #45,189, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈsesẽn]. crecen is at rank #7,839, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈkɾesẽn].

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 53028, this pair ranks #89,882 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of cesen vs crecen

Shared letters: cen. Private to "cesen": s. Private to "crecen": r.

"cesen" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC  ·  "crecen" · 6 letters · shape CCVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • cesenccesen · cecen · ceesn · cesenn · cesne · cessen · cseen · ecsen
  • crecenccrecen · cercen · crceen · creccen · crecenn · crecne · creecn · cresen

Frequency comparison

cesen#45,189
crecen#7,839

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "cesen" and "crecen" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈsesẽn] versus [ˈkɾesẽn]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "cesen" or "crecen"?
"crecen" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #7,839 in our Spanish list, against #45,189 for "cesen". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering cesen vs crecen

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 “cesen” 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