distribuidovsdistribuirWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#12,805
“distribuido” frequency rank
#10,492
“distribuir” frequency rank
23297
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature distribuido distribuir
Definition Participio de distribuir. Darle a cada cual una porción de algo en función de algún criterio.

Where the eye mixes distribuido and distribuir

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 9 letters in sequence. distribuido runs 11 letters (CVCCCVCVVCV) against distribuir's 10 (CVCCCVCVVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.

11 ch
distribuido
10 ch
distribuir

Visual trap between distribuido and distribuir

A purely visual mix-up. distribuido ([d̪ist̪ɾiˈβ̞wið̞o]) and distribuir ([d̪ist̪ɾiˈβ̞wiɾ]) 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 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 23297, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

distribuido is recorded at frequency rank #12,805, classified as averb, pronounced [d̪ist̪ɾiˈβ̞wið̞o]. distribuir is at rank #10,492, tagged as averb, pronounced [d̪ist̪ɾiˈβ̞wiɾ].

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 23297, this pair ranks #246,452 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of distribuido vs distribuir

Shared letters: bdirstu. Private to "distribuido": o. Private to "distribuir": -.

"distribuido" · 11 letters · shape CVCCCVCVVCV  ·  "distribuir" · 10 letters · shape CVCCCVCVVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • distribuido ← ddistribuido · disrtibuido · disstribuido · distirbuido · distrbiuido · distribbuido · distribiudo · distribudio
  • distribuir ← ddistribuir · disrtibuir · disstribuir · distirbuir · distrbiuir · distribbuir · distribiur · distribuirr

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "distribuido" and "distribuir" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([d̪ist̪ɾiˈβ̞wið̞o] versus [d̪ist̪ɾiˈβ̞wiɾ]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "distribuido" or "distribuir"?
"distribuir" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #10,492 in our Spanish list, against #12,805 for "distribuido". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

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 "distribuido" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "distribuir" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #246,452 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "distribuido" and "distribuir" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "distribuido vs distribuirá". Nearby pair
  • Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes

Confusion rank #246,452 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list