consistenvsconsistíanWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#16,301
“consisten” frequency rank
#42,904
“consistían” frequency rank
59205
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature consisten consistían
Definition Tercera persona del plural (ellos, ellas; ustedes, 2.ª persona) del presente de indicativo de consistir. Tercera persona del plural (ellos, ellas; ustedes, 2.ª persona) del pretérito imperfecto de indicativo de consistir.

Where the spellings diverge

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

9 ch
consisten
10 ch
consistían

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. consisten ([kõnˈsist̪ẽn]) and consistían ([kõnsisˈt̪iãn]) 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 59205, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

consisten is recorded at frequency rank #16,301, classified as averb, pronounced [kõnˈsist̪ẽn]. consistían is at rank #42,904, tagged as averb, pronounced [kõnsisˈt̪iãn].

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 59205, this pair ranks #63,501 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of consisten vs consistían

Shared letters: cinost. Private to "consisten": e. Private to "consistían": .

"consisten" · 9 letters · shape CVCCVCCVC  ·  "consistían" · 10 letters · shape CVCCVCCVVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • consistencconsisten · cnosisten · concisten · conissten · connsisten · consisetn · consissten · consistenn

Frequency comparison

consisten#16,301
consistían#42,904

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "consisten" and "consistían" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([kõnˈsist̪ẽn] versus [kõnsisˈt̪iãn]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "consisten" or "consistían"?
"consisten" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #16,301 in our Spanish list, against #42,904 for "consistían". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering consisten vs consistían

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 “consisten” 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