Which to use
“cierra” and “cierran” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #3,468
- “cierra” frequency rank
- #8,774
- “cierran” frequency rank
- 12242
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | cierra | cierran |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Tercera persona del singular (él, ella, ello; usted, 2.ª persona) del presente de indicativo de cerrar o de cerrarse. | Tercera persona del plural (ellos, ellas; ustedes, 2.ª persona) del presente de indicativo de cerrar o de cerrarse. |
Where the eye mixes cierra and cierran
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses cierra with cierran
A purely visual mix-up. cierra ([ˈsjera]) and cierran ([ˈsjerãn]) 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 extra letter(s) - “cierra” sits inside “cierran”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 12242, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
cierra is recorded at frequency rank #3,468, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈsjera]. cierran is at rank #8,774, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈsjerãn].
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 12242, this pair ranks #292,218 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of cierra vs cierran
Shared letters: aceir. Private to "cierra": -. Private to "cierran": n.
"cierra" · 6 letters · shape CVVCCV · "cierran" · 7 letters · shape CVVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "cierra" and "cierran" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "cierra" or "cierran"?
After this comparison
Eye-level mix-up between "cierra" and "cierran" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "cierra" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "cierran" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #292,218 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "cierra" and "cierran" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "caerían vs cierran". 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 #292,218 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.