desfilanvsdesvíanWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#41,855
“desfilan” frequency rank
#43,521
“desvían” frequency rank
85376
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature desfilan desvían
Definition Tercera persona del plural (ellos, ellas; ustedes, 2.ª persona) del presente de indicativo de desfilar. Tercera persona del plural (ellos, ellas; ustedes, 2.ª persona) del presente de indicativo de desviar o de desviarse.

Where the spellings diverge

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

8 ch
desfilan
7 ch
desvían

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. desfilan ([d̪esˈfilãn]) and desvían ([d̪esˈβ̞iãn]) 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 85376, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

desfilan is recorded at frequency rank #41,855, classified as averb, pronounced [d̪esˈfilãn]. desvían is at rank #43,521, tagged as averb, pronounced [d̪esˈβ̞iãn].

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 85376, this pair ranks #6,182 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of desfilan vs desvían

Shared letters: adens. Private to "desfilan": fil. Private to "desvían": .

"desfilan" · 8 letters · shape CVCCVCVC  ·  "desvían" · 7 letters · shape CVCCVVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • desfilanddesfilan · defsilan · desffilan · desfialn · desfilann · desfillan · desfilna · desflian

Frequency comparison

desfilan#41,855
desvían#43,521

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "desfilan" and "desvían" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([d̪esˈfilãn] versus [d̪esˈβ̞iãn]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "desfilan" or "desvían"?
"desfilan" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #41,855 in our Spanish list, against #43,521 for "desvían". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering desfilan vs desvían

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 “desfilan” 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