Which to use
“cierra” and “cierren” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #3,468
- “cierra” frequency rank
- #12,548
- “cierren” frequency rank
- 16016
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | cierra | cierren |
|---|---|---|
| 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 subjuntivo de cerrar o de cerrarse. |
Where the eye mixes cierra and cierren
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence. cierra runs 6 letters (CVVCCV) against cierren's 7 (CVVCCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses cierra with cierren
A purely visual mix-up. cierra ([ˈsjera]) and cierren ([ˈsjerẽn]) 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 16016, 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]. cierren is at rank #12,548, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈsjerẽn].
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 16016, this pair ranks #277,861 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of cierra vs cierren
Shared letters: ceir. Private to "cierra": a. Private to "cierren": n.
"cierra" · 6 letters · shape CVVCCV · "cierren" · 7 letters · shape CVVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "cierra" for "cierren" ever safe?
Which is more common, "cierra" or "cierren"?
What to do next
Eye-level mix-up between "cierra" and "cierren" 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 "cierren" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #277,861 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "cierra" and "cierren" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "ciernes vs cierren". 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 #277,861 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.