descubrívsdescubrirConfusable pair

Which to use

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

#8,102
“descubrí” frequency rank
#2,652
“descubrir” frequency rank
10754
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature descubrí descubrir
Definition Primera persona del singular (yo) del pretérito perfecto simple de indicativo de descubrir o de descubrirse. Retirar una cubierta o tapa.

Where the eye mixes descubrí and descubrir

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence. descubrí runs 8 letters (CVCCVCCV) against descubrir's 9 (CVCCVCCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.

8 ch
descubrí
9 ch
descubrir

Look-alike desk: descubrí vs descubrir

A purely visual mix-up. descubrí ([d̪eskuˈβ̞ɾi]) and descubrir ([d̪eskuˈβ̞ɾiɾ]) 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 10754, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

descubrí is recorded at frequency rank #8,102, classified as averb, pronounced [d̪eskuˈβ̞ɾi]. descubrir is at rank #2,652, tagged as averb, pronounced [d̪eskuˈβ̞ɾiɾ].

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 10754, this pair ranks #297,491 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of descubrí vs descubrir

Shared letters: bcdersu. Private to "descubrí": í. Private to "descubrir": i.

"descubrí" · 8 letters · shape CVCCVCCV  ·  "descubrir" · 9 letters · shape CVCCVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • descubrir ← ddescubrir · decsubrir · descburir · desccubrir · descubbrir · descubirr · descubrirr · descubrri

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "descubrí" and "descubrir" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([d̪eskuˈβ̞ɾi] versus [d̪eskuˈβ̞ɾiɾ]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Frequency check: "descubrí" vs "descubrir" - which ranks higher?
"descubrir" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #2,652 in our Spanish list, against #8,102 for "descubrí". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

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 "descubrí" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "descubrir" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #297,491 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "descubrí" and "descubrir" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "descubras vs descubrí". 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 #297,491 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list