despedívsdespedirWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#39,159
“despedí” frequency rank
#10,313
“despedir” frequency rank
49472
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature despedí despedir
Definition Primera persona del singular (yo) del pretérito perfecto simple de indicativo de despedir. Acompañar o decir adiós a alguien que se marcha.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set despedí and despedir apart are highlighted. They share 6 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

7 ch
despedí
8 ch
despedir

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. despedí ([d̪espeˈð̞i]) and despedir ([d̪espeˈð̞iɾ]) 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 49472, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

despedí is recorded at frequency rank #39,159, classified as averb, pronounced [d̪espeˈð̞i]. despedir is at rank #10,313, tagged as averb, pronounced [d̪espeˈð̞iɾ].

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 49472, this pair ranks #108,680 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of despedí vs despedir

Shared letters: deps. Private to "despedí": í. Private to "despedir": ir.

"despedí" · 7 letters · shape CVCCVCV  ·  "despedir" · 8 letters · shape CVCCVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • despedirddespedir · depsedir · desepdir · despdeir · despeddir · despedirr · despedri · despeidr

Frequency comparison

despedí#39,159
despedir#10,313

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "despedí" and "despedir" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([d̪espeˈð̞i] versus [d̪espeˈð̞iɾ]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "despedí" or "despedir"?
"despedir" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #10,313 in our Spanish list, against #39,159 for "despedí". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering despedí vs despedir

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 “despedí” 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