dirigíanvsdirigidoWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#19,994
“dirigían” frequency rank
#2,770
“dirigido” frequency rank
22764
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature dirigían dirigido
Definition Tercera persona del plural (ellos, ellas; ustedes, 2.ª persona) del pretérito imperfecto de indicativo de dirigir o de dirigirse. Participio de dirigir.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set dirigían and dirigido apart are highlighted. They share 5 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

8 ch
dirigían
8 ch
dirigido

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. dirigían ([d̪iɾiˈxiãn]) and dirigido ([d̪iɾiˈxið̞o]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 3 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 22764, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

dirigían is recorded at frequency rank #19,994, classified as averb, pronounced [d̪iɾiˈxiãn]. dirigido is at rank #2,770, tagged as averb, pronounced [d̪iɾiˈxið̞o].

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 22764, this pair ranks #248,832 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of dirigían vs dirigido

Shared letters: dgir. Private to "dirigían": aní. Private to "dirigido": o.

"dirigían" · 8 letters · shape CVCVCVVC  ·  "dirigido" · 8 letters · shape CVCVCVCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • dirigidoddirigido · diirgido · dirgiido · dirigdio · diriggido · dirigiddo · dirigiod · diriigdo

Frequency comparison

dirigían#19,994
dirigido#2,770

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "dirigían" and "dirigido" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([d̪iɾiˈxiãn] versus [d̪iɾiˈxið̞o]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "dirigían" or "dirigido"?
"dirigido" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #2,770 in our Spanish list, against #19,994 for "dirigían". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering dirigían vs dirigido

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 “dirigían” 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