cumplívscumplíanConfusable pair

Which to use

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

#24,088
“cumplí” frequency rank
#29,576
“cumplían” frequency rank
53664
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature cumplí cumplían
Definition Primera persona del singular (yo) del pretérito perfecto simple de indicativo de cumplir. Tercera persona del plural (ellos, ellas; ustedes, 2.ª persona) del pretérito imperfecto de indicativo de cumplir.

Where the eye mixes cumplí and cumplían

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence. cumplí runs 6 letters (CVCCCV) against cumplían's 8 (CVCCCVVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.

6 ch
cumplí
8 ch
cumplían

Visual trap between cumplí and cumplían

A purely visual mix-up. cumplí ([kũmˈpli]) and cumplían ([kũmˈpliãn]) 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 2 extra letter(s) - “cumplí” sits inside “cumplían”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 53664, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

cumplí is recorded at frequency rank #24,088, classified as averb, pronounced [kũmˈpli]. cumplían is at rank #29,576, tagged as averb, pronounced [kũmˈpliãn].

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 53664, this pair ranks #86,804 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of cumplí vs cumplían

Shared letters: clmpuí. Private to "cumplí": -. Private to "cumplían": an.

"cumplí" · 6 letters · shape CVCCCV  ·  "cumplían" · 8 letters · shape CVCCCVVC

Frequently Asked Questions

Do "cumplí" and "cumplían" mean the same thing in a sentence?
No. They are said differently ([kũmˈpli] versus [kũmˈpliãn]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "cumplí" or "cumplían"?
"cumplí" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #24,088 in our Spanish list, against #29,576 for "cumplían". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Useful next steps

Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.

  • Full dictionary entry for "cumplí" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "cumplían" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #86,804 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "cumplí" and "cumplían" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "cumplían vs cumpliré". Nearby pair

Confusion rank #86,804 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list