consistevsconsistenWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#2,244
“consiste” frequency rank
#16,301
“consisten” frequency rank
18545
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature consiste consisten
Definition Tercera persona del singular (él, ella, ello; usted, 2.ª persona) del presente de indicativo de consistir. Tercera persona del plural (ellos, ellas; ustedes, 2.ª persona) del presente de indicativo de consistir.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set consiste and consisten apart are highlighted. They share 8 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

8 ch
consiste
9 ch
consisten

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. consiste ([kõnˈsist̪e]) and consisten ([kõnˈsist̪ẽn]) 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) - “consiste” sits inside “consisten”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 18545, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

consiste is recorded at frequency rank #2,244, classified as averb, pronounced [kõnˈsist̪e]. consisten is at rank #16,301, tagged as averb, pronounced [kõnˈsist̪ẽn].

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 18545, this pair ranks #267,477 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of consiste vs consisten

Shared letters: ceinost. Private to "consiste": -. Private to "consisten": -.

"consiste" · 8 letters · shape CVCCVCCV  ·  "consisten" · 9 letters · shape CVCCVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • consistecconsiste · cnosiste · conciste · conisste · connsiste · consiset · consisste · consistte
  • consistencconsisten · cnosisten · concisten · conissten · connsisten · consisetn · consissten · consistenn

Frequency comparison

consiste#2,244
consisten#16,301

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "consiste" and "consisten" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([kõnˈsist̪e] versus [kõnˈsist̪ẽn]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "consiste" or "consisten"?
"consiste" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #2,244 in our Spanish list, against #16,301 for "consisten". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering consiste vs consisten

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 “consiste” 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