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 eye mixes desván and desvían
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence. desván runs 6 letters (CVCCVC) against desvían's 7 (CVCCVVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses desván with desvían
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
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "desván" and "desvían" be used interchangeably?
In ordinary Spanish text, does "desván" or "desvían" show up more?
Useful next steps
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "desván" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "desvían" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #4,808 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "desván" and "desvían" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "desván vs Deva". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #4,808 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.