Which to use
“defendí” and “defendían” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #41,842
- “defendí” frequency rank
- #24,461
- “defendían” frequency rank
- 66303
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | defendí | defendían |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Primera persona del singular (yo) del pretérito perfecto simple de indicativo de defender o de defenderse. | Tercera persona del plural (ellos, ellas; ustedes, 2.ª persona) del pretérito imperfecto de indicativo de defender o de defenderse. |
Where the eye mixes defendí and defendían
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence. defendí runs 7 letters (CVCVCCV) against defendían's 9 (CVCVCCVVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Look-alike desk: defendí vs defendían
A purely visual mix-up. defendí ([d̪efẽn̪ˈd̪i]) and defendían ([d̪efẽn̪ˈd̪iãn]) 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) - “defendí” sits inside “defendían”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 66303, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
defendí is recorded at frequency rank #41,842, classified as averb, pronounced [d̪efẽn̪ˈd̪i]. defendían is at rank #24,461, tagged as averb, pronounced [d̪efẽn̪ˈd̪iãn].
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 66303, this pair ranks #40,228 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of defendí vs defendían
Shared letters: defní. Private to "defendí": -. Private to "defendían": a.
"defendí" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCCV · "defendían" · 9 letters · shape CVCVCCVVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "defendí" for "defendían" ever safe?
Frequency check: "defendí" vs "defendían" - which ranks higher?
What to do next
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "defendí" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "defendían" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #40,228 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "defendí" and "defendían" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "defendí vs defense". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #40,228 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.