Which to use
“desván” is a noun and “desvían” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #43,520
- “desván” frequency rank
- #43,521
- “desvían” frequency rank
- 87041
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | desván | desvían |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Parte más alta de la casa, que tiene por cubierta el tejado y que generalmente sirve para guardar objetos desusados. | Tercera persona del plural (ellos, ellas; ustedes, 2.ª persona) del presente de indicativo de desviar o de desviarse. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set desván and desvían apart are highlighted. They share 5 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: desván is [d̪esˈβ̞ãn] while desvían is [d̪esˈβ̞iãn]. 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 (noun vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 87041, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
desván is recorded at frequency rank #43,520, classified as anoun, pronounced [d̪esˈβ̞ãn]. desvían is at rank #43,521, tagged as averb, pronounced [d̪esˈβ̞iãn].
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 87041, this pair ranks #4,808 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of desván vs desvían
Shared letters: densv. Private to "desván": á. Private to "desvían": aí.
"desván" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC · "desvían" · 7 letters · shape CVCCVVC
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "desván" and "desvían" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "desván" or "desvían"?
Remembering desván vs desvían
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a noun, it's “desván”; for a verb, it's “desvían”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “desván” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable