corríanvscreíanWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#24,081
“corrían” frequency rank
#9,269
“creían” frequency rank
33350
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature corrían creían
Definition Tercera persona del plural (ellos, ellas; ustedes, 2.ª persona) del pretérito imperfecto de indicativo de correr o de correrse. Tercera persona del plural (ellos, ellas; ustedes, 2.ª persona) del pretérito imperfecto de indicativo de creer o de creerse.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set corrían and creían apart are highlighted. They share 5 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

7 ch
corrían
6 ch
creían

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. corrían ([koˈriãn]) and creían ([kɾeˈiãn]) 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 33350, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

corrían is recorded at frequency rank #24,081, classified as averb, pronounced [koˈriãn]. creían is at rank #9,269, tagged as averb, pronounced [kɾeˈiãn].

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 33350, this pair ranks #197,251 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of corrían vs creían

Shared letters: acnrí. Private to "corrían": o. Private to "creían": e.

"corrían" · 7 letters · shape CVCCVVC  ·  "creían" · 6 letters · shape CCVVVC

Frequency comparison

corrían#24,081
creían#9,269

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "corrían" and "creían" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([koˈriãn] versus [kɾeˈiãn]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "corrían" or "creían"?
"creían" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #9,269 in our Spanish list, against #24,081 for "corrían". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering corrían vs creían

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 “corrían” 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