Which to use
“desaparecen” and “desaparecer” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #10,653
- “desaparecen” frequency rank
- #4,000
- “desaparecer” frequency rank
- 14653
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | desaparecen | desaparecer |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Tercera persona del plural (ellos, ellas; ustedes, 2.ª persona) del presente de indicativo de desaparecer o de desaparecerse. | Dejar de estar a la vista o de ser visible. |
Where the eye mixes desaparecen and desaparecer
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 10 letters in sequence. desaparecen and desaparecer follow the identical consonant-vowel pattern (CVCVCVCVCVC). Same shape at a glance is often the real trap, independent of shared letters.
Visual trap between desaparecen and desaparecer
A purely visual mix-up. desaparecen ([d̪esapaˈɾesẽn]) and desaparecer ([d̪esapaɾeˈseɾ]) 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 a single letter - n in “desaparecen” becomes r in “desaparecer”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 14653, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
desaparecen is recorded at frequency rank #10,653, classified as averb, pronounced [d̪esapaˈɾesẽn]. desaparecer is at rank #4,000, tagged as averb, pronounced [d̪esapaɾeˈseɾ].
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 14653, this pair ranks #283,302 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of desaparecen vs desaparecer
Shared letters: acdeprs. Private to "desaparecen": n. Private to "desaparecer": -.
"desaparecen" · 11 letters · shape CVCVCVCVCVC · "desaparecer" · 11 letters · shape CVCVCVCVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- desaparecen ← ddesaparecen · deasparecen · desaaprecen · desapaercen · desaparceen · desapareccen · desaparecenn · desaparecne
- desaparecer ← ddesaparecer · deasparecer · desaaprecer · desapaercer · desaparceer · desapareccer · desaparecerr · desaparecre
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "desaparecen" and "desaparecer" be used interchangeably?
Frequency check: "desaparecen" vs "desaparecer" - which ranks higher?
What to do next
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "desaparecen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "desaparecer" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #283,302 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "desaparecen" and "desaparecer" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "desaparecen vs desaparecía". Nearby pair
- Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes
Confusion rank #283,302 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.