destruyevsdestruyenWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#8,642
“destruye” frequency rank
#13,673
“destruyen” frequency rank
22315
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature destruye destruyen
Definition Tercera persona del singular (él, ella, ello; usted, 2.ª persona) del presente de indicativo de destruir o de destruirse. Tercera persona del plural (ellos, ellas; ustedes, 2.ª persona) del presente de indicativo de destruir o de destruirse.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set destruye and destruyen apart are highlighted. They share 8 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

8 ch
destruye
9 ch
destruyen

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. destruye ([d̪esˈt̪ɾuʝe]) and destruyen ([d̪esˈt̪ɾuʝẽn]) 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 extra letter(s) - “destruye” sits inside “destruyen”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 22315, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

destruye is recorded at frequency rank #8,642, classified as averb, pronounced [d̪esˈt̪ɾuʝe]. destruyen is at rank #13,673, tagged as averb, pronounced [d̪esˈt̪ɾuʝẽn].

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 22315, this pair ranks #250,909 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of destruye vs destruyen

Shared letters: derstuy. Private to "destruye": -. Private to "destruyen": n.

"destruye" · 8 letters · shape CVCCCVVV  ·  "destruyen" · 9 letters · shape CVCCCVVVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • destruyeddestruye · desrtuye · desstruye · destrruye · destruey · destruyye · destryue · desttruye
  • destruyenddestruyen · desrtuyen · desstruyen · destrruyen · destrueyn · destruyenn · destruyne · destruyyen

Frequency comparison

destruye#8,642
destruyen#13,673

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "destruye" and "destruyen" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([d̪esˈt̪ɾuʝe] versus [d̪esˈt̪ɾuʝẽn]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "destruye" or "destruyen"?
"destruye" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #8,642 in our Spanish list, against #13,673 for "destruyen". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering destruye vs destruyen

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 “destruye” 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