Which to use
“despierta” is a verb and “despiertos” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #4,074
- “despierta” frequency rank
- #22,324
- “despiertos” frequency rank
- 26398
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | despierta | despiertos |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Tercera persona del singular (él, ella, ello; usted, 2.ª persona) del presente de indicativo de despertar o de despertarse. | Forma del plural de despierto. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set despierta and despiertos apart are highlighted. They share 8 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: despierta is [d̪esˈpjeɾt̪a] while despiertos is [d̪esˈpjeɾt̪os]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 26398, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
despierta is recorded at frequency rank #4,074, classified as averb, pronounced [d̪esˈpjeɾt̪a]. despiertos is at rank #22,324, tagged as anadj, pronounced [d̪esˈpjeɾt̪os].
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 26398, this pair ranks #231,827 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of despierta vs despiertos
Shared letters: deiprst. Private to "despierta": a. Private to "despiertos": o.
"despierta" · 9 letters · shape CVCCVVCCV · "despiertos" · 10 letters · shape CVCCVVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- despierta ← ddespierta · depsierta · desiperta · despeirta · despierat · despierrta · despiertta · despietra
- despiertos ← ddespiertos · depsiertos · desipertos · despeirtos · despierots · despierrtos · despiertoss · despiertso
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "despierta" and "despiertos" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "despierta" or "despiertos"?
Remembering despierta vs despiertos
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “despierta”; for an adjective, it's “despiertos”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “despierta” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable