distribuirvsdistribuyaConfusable pair

Which to use

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

#10,492
“distribuir” frequency rank
#48,359
“distribuya” frequency rank
58851
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature distribuir distribuya
Definition Darle a cada cual una porción de algo en función de algún criterio. Primera persona del singular (yo) del presente de subjuntivo de distribuir.

Where the eye mixes distribuir and distribuya

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 8 letters in sequence. distribuir (CVCCCVCVVC) and distribuya (CVCCCVCVVV) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.

10 ch
distribuir
10 ch
distribuya

Why the eye confuses distribuir with distribuya

A purely visual mix-up. distribuir ([d̪ist̪ɾiˈβ̞wiɾ]) and distribuya ([d̪ist̪ɾiˈβ̞uʝa]) 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 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 58851, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

distribuir is recorded at frequency rank #10,492, classified as averb, pronounced [d̪ist̪ɾiˈβ̞wiɾ]. distribuya is at rank #48,359, tagged as averb, pronounced [d̪ist̪ɾiˈβ̞uʝa].

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 58851, this pair ranks #64,906 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of distribuir vs distribuya

Shared letters: bdirstu. Private to "distribuir": -. Private to "distribuya": ay.

"distribuir" · 10 letters · shape CVCCCVCVVC  ·  "distribuya" · 10 letters · shape CVCCCVCVVV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • distribuir ← ddistribuir · disrtibuir · disstribuir · distirbuir · distrbiuir · distribbuir · distribiur · distribuirr
  • distribuya ← ddistribuya · disrtibuya · disstribuya · distirbuya · distrbiuya · distribbuya · distribuay · distribuyya

Frequently Asked Questions

Is swapping "distribuir" for "distribuya" ever safe?
No. They are said differently ([d̪ist̪ɾiˈβ̞wiɾ] versus [d̪ist̪ɾiˈβ̞uʝa]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Frequency check: "distribuir" vs "distribuya" - which ranks higher?
"distribuir" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #10,492 in our Spanish list, against #48,359 for "distribuya". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Useful next steps

Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.

  • Full dictionary entry for "distribuir" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "distribuya" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #64,906 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "distribuir" and "distribuya" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "distribuirá vs distribuya". 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 #64,906 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