definavsdefinióWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#23,373
“defina” frequency rank
#13,220
“definió” frequency rank
36593
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature defina definió
Definition Primera persona del singular (yo) del presente de subjuntivo de definir o de definirse. Tercera persona del singular (él, ella, ello; usted, 2.ª persona) del pretérito perfecto simple de indicativo de definir o de definirse.

Where the spellings diverge

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

6 ch
defina
7 ch
definió

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. defina ([d̪eˈfina]) and definió ([d̪efiˈnjo]) 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 36593, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

defina is recorded at frequency rank #23,373, classified as averb, pronounced [d̪eˈfina]. definió is at rank #13,220, tagged as averb, pronounced [d̪efiˈnjo].

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 36593, this pair ranks #179,821 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of defina vs definió

Shared letters: defin. Private to "defina": a. Private to "definió": ó.

"defina" · 6 letters · shape CVCVCV  ·  "definió" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCVV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • definaddefina · deffina · defian · definna · defnia · deifna · dfeina · edfina

Frequency comparison

defina#23,373
definió#13,220

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "defina" and "definió" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([d̪eˈfina] versus [d̪efiˈnjo]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "defina" or "definió"?
"definió" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #13,220 in our Spanish list, against #23,373 for "defina". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering defina vs definió

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 “defina” 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