Which to use
“desaparecen” and “desapareció” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #10,653
- “desaparecen” frequency rank
- #5,946
- “desapareció” frequency rank
- 16599
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | desaparecen | desapareció |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Tercera persona del plural (ellos, ellas; ustedes, 2.ª persona) del presente de indicativo de desaparecer o de desaparecerse. | Tercera persona del singular (él, ella, ello; usted, 2.ª persona) del pretérito perfecto simple de indicativo de desaparecer o de desaparecerse. |
Where the eye mixes desaparecen and desapareció
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 9 letters in sequence. desaparecen (CVCVCVCVCVC) and desapareció (CVCVCVCVCVV) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Visual trap between desaparecen and desapareció
A purely visual mix-up. desaparecen ([d̪esapaˈɾesẽn]) and desapareció ([d̪esapaɾeˈsjo]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 16599, 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]. desapareció is at rank #5,946, tagged as averb, pronounced [d̪esapaɾeˈsjo].
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 16599, this pair ranks #275,493 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of desaparecen vs desapareció
Shared letters: acdeprs. Private to "desaparecen": n. Private to "desapareció": ió.
"desaparecen" · 11 letters · shape CVCVCVCVCVC · "desapareció" · 11 letters · shape CVCVCVCVCVV
Known mistypes of this pair
- desaparecen ← ddesaparecen · deasparecen · desaaprecen · desapaercen · desaparceen · desapareccen · desaparecenn · desaparecne
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "desaparecen" for "desapareció" ever safe?
Frequency check: "desaparecen" vs "desapareció" - 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 "desapareció" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #275,493 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "desaparecen" and "desapareció" 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 #275,493 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.