comiencenvscomienzanWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#18,481
“comiencen” frequency rank
#5,186
“comienzan” frequency rank
23667
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature comiencen comienzan
Definition Tercera persona del plural (ellos, ellas; ustedes, 2.ª persona) del presente de subjuntivo de comenzar. Tercera persona del plural (ellos, ellas; ustedes, 2.ª persona) del presente de indicativo de comenzar.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set comiencen and comienzan apart are highlighted. They share 7 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

9 ch
comiencen
9 ch
comienzan

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. comiencen ([koˈmjẽnsẽn]) and comienzan ([koˈmjẽnsãn]) 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 23667, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

comiencen is recorded at frequency rank #18,481, classified as averb, pronounced [koˈmjẽnsẽn]. comienzan is at rank #5,186, tagged as averb, pronounced [koˈmjẽnsãn].

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 23667, this pair ranks #244,724 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of comiencen vs comienzan

Shared letters: ceimno. Private to "comiencen": -. Private to "comienzan": az.

"comiencen" · 9 letters · shape CVCVVCCVC  ·  "comienzan" · 9 letters · shape CVCVVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • comiencenccomiencen · cmoiencen · coimencen · comeincen · comiecnen · comienccen · comiencenn · comiencne
  • comienzanccomienzan · cmoienzan · coimenzan · comeinzan · comienazn · comiennzan · comienzann · comienzna

Frequency comparison

comiencen#18,481
comienzan#5,186

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "comiencen" and "comienzan" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([koˈmjẽnsẽn] versus [koˈmjẽnsãn]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "comiencen" or "comienzan"?
"comienzan" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #5,186 in our Spanish list, against #18,481 for "comiencen". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering comiencen vs comienzan

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 “comiencen” 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