dementevsdesmienteWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: demente is a adjective, desmiente is a verb, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“demente” is an adjective and “desmiente” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#18,508
“demente” frequency rank
#29,156
“desmiente” frequency rank
47664
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature demente desmiente
Definition Loco o falto de juicio. Tercera persona del singular (él, ella, ello; usted, 2.ª persona) del presente de indicativo de desmentir.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set demente and desmiente apart are highlighted. They share 7 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

7 ch
demente
9 ch
desmiente

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: demente is [d̪eˈmẽn̪t̪e] while desmiente is [d̪esˈmjẽn̪t̪e]. 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 (adjective vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 47664, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

demente is recorded at frequency rank #18,508, classified as anadj, pronounced [d̪eˈmẽn̪t̪e]. desmiente is at rank #29,156, tagged as averb, pronounced [d̪esˈmjẽn̪t̪e].

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 47664, this pair ranks #118,760 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of demente vs desmiente

Shared letters: demnt. Private to "demente": -. Private to "desmiente": is.

"demente" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCCV  ·  "desmiente" · 9 letters · shape CVCCVVCCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • dementeddemente · deemnte · demenet · demennte · dementte · demetne · demmente · demnete
  • desmienteddesmiente · demsiente · desimente · desmeinte · desmienet · desmiennte · desmientte · desmietne

Frequency comparison

demente#18,508
desmiente#29,156

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "demente" and "desmiente" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "demente" is an adjective and "desmiente" a verb, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "demente" or "desmiente"?
"demente" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #18,508 in our Spanish list, against #29,156 for "desmiente". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering demente vs desmiente

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need an adjective, it's “demente”; for a verb, it's “desmiente”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “demente” 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 FrequencyWords open word-frequency list