creíasvscríaWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: creías is a verb, cría is a noun, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“creías” is a verb and “cría” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#21,286
“creías” frequency rank
#9,270
“cría” frequency rank
30556
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature creías cría
Definition Segunda persona del singular (tú, vos) del pretérito imperfecto de indicativo de creer o de creerse. Acción o efecto de criar.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set creías and cría apart are highlighted. They share 4 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

6 ch
creías
4 ch
cría

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: creías is [kɾeˈias] while cría is [ˈkɾia]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 2 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 30556, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

creías is recorded at frequency rank #21,286, classified as averb, pronounced [kɾeˈias]. cría is at rank #9,270, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈkɾia].

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 30556, this pair ranks #211,420 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of creías vs cría

Shared letters: acrí. Private to "creías": es. Private to "cría": -.

"creías" · 6 letters · shape CCVVVC  ·  "cría" · 4 letters · shape CCVV

Frequency comparison

creías#21,286
cría#9,270

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "creías" and "cría" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "creías" is a verb and "cría" a noun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "creías" or "cría"?
"cría" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #9,270 in our Spanish list, against #21,286 for "creías". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering creías vs cría

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “creías”; for a noun, it's “cría”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “creías” 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