Which to use
“despedido” and “despedir” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #8,788
- “despedido” frequency rank
- #10,313
- “despedir” frequency rank
- 19101
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | despedido | despedir |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Participio de despedir. | Acompañar o decir adiós a alguien que se marcha. |
Where the eye mixes despedido and despedir
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence. despedido runs 9 letters (CVCCVCVCV) against despedir's 8 (CVCCVCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Visual trap between despedido and despedir
A purely visual mix-up. despedido ([d̪espeˈð̞ið̞o]) 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 19101, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
despedido is recorded at frequency rank #8,788, classified as averb, pronounced [d̪espeˈð̞ið̞o]. 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 19101, this pair ranks #265,197 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of despedido vs despedir
Shared letters: deips. Private to "despedido": o. Private to "despedir": r.
"despedido" · 9 letters · shape CVCCVCVCV · "despedir" · 8 letters · shape CVCCVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "despedido" for "despedir" ever safe?
Frequency check: "despedido" vs "despedir" - which ranks higher?
After this comparison
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "despedido" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "despedir" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #265,197 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "despedido" and "despedir" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "despedí vs despedir". 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 #265,197 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.