Which to use
“distingue” and “distinguen” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #9,804
- “distingue” frequency rank
- #15,352
- “distinguen” frequency rank
- 25156
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | distingue | distinguen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Tercera persona del singular (él, ella, ello; usted, 2.ª persona) del presente de indicativo de distinguir o de distinguirse. | Tercera persona del plural (ellos, ellas; ustedes, 2.ª persona) del presente de indicativo de distinguir o de distinguirse. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set distingue and distinguen apart are highlighted. They share 9 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
A purely visual mix-up. distingue ([d̪isˈt̪ĩŋge]) and distinguen ([d̪isˈt̪ĩŋgẽn]) 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) - “distingue” sits inside “distinguen”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 25156, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
distingue is recorded at frequency rank #9,804, classified as averb, pronounced [d̪isˈt̪ĩŋge]. distinguen is at rank #15,352, tagged as averb, pronounced [d̪isˈt̪ĩŋgẽn].
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 25156, this pair ranks #237,739 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of distingue vs distinguen
Shared letters: deginstu. Private to "distingue": -. Private to "distinguen": -.
"distingue" · 9 letters · shape CVCCVCCVV · "distinguen" · 10 letters · shape CVCCVCCVVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- distingue ← ddistingue · disitngue · disstingue · distignue · distingeu · distinggue · distinngue · distinuge
- distinguen ← ddistinguen · disitnguen · disstinguen · distignuen · distingeun · distingguen · distinguenn · distingune
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "distingue" and "distinguen" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "distingue" or "distinguen"?
Remembering distingue vs distinguen
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 “distingue” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable