despedívsdespideWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#39,159
“despedí” frequency rank
#17,108
“despide” frequency rank
56267
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature despedí despide
Definition Primera persona del singular (yo) del pretérito perfecto simple de indicativo de despedir. Tercera persona del singular (él, ella, ello; usted, 2.ª persona) del presente de indicativo de despedir.

Where the spellings diverge

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

7 ch
despedí
7 ch
despide

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. despedí ([d̪espeˈð̞i]) and despide ([d̪esˈpið̞e]) 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 56267, 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]. despide is at rank #17,108, tagged as averb, pronounced [d̪esˈpið̞e].

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 56267, this pair ranks #75,329 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of despedí vs despide

Shared letters: deps. Private to "despedí": í. Private to "despide": i.

"despedí" · 7 letters · shape CVCCVCV  ·  "despide" · 7 letters · shape CVCCVCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • despideddespide · depside · desipde · despdie · despidde · despied · desppide · desspide

Frequency comparison

despedí#39,159
despide#17,108

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "despedí" and "despide" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([d̪espeˈð̞i] versus [d̪esˈpið̞e]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "despedí" or "despide"?
"despide" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #17,108 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 despide

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