dormíanvsdormidoWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#29,613
“dormían” frequency rank
#4,784
“dormido” frequency rank
34397
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature dormían dormido
Definition Tercera persona del plural (ellos, ellas; ustedes, 2.ª persona) del pretérito imperfecto de indicativo de dormir o de dormirse. Participio de dormir.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set dormían and dormido apart are highlighted. They share 4 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

7 ch
dormían
7 ch
dormido

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. dormían ([d̪oɾˈmiãn]) and dormido ([d̪oɾˈmið̞o]) 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 34397, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

dormían is recorded at frequency rank #29,613, classified as averb, pronounced [d̪oɾˈmiãn]. dormido is at rank #4,784, tagged as averb, pronounced [d̪oɾˈmið̞o].

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 34397, this pair ranks #191,668 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of dormían vs dormido

Shared letters: dmor. Private to "dormían": aní. Private to "dormido": i.

"dormían" · 7 letters · shape CVCCVVC  ·  "dormido" · 7 letters · shape CVCCVCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • dormidoddormido · domrido · dorimdo · dormdio · dormiddo · dormiod · dormmido · dorrmido

Frequency comparison

dormían#29,613
dormido#4,784

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "dormían" and "dormido" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([d̪oɾˈmiãn] versus [d̪oɾˈmið̞o]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "dormían" or "dormido"?
"dormido" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #4,784 in our Spanish list, against #29,613 for "dormían". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering dormían vs dormido

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 “dormían” 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 FrequencyWords open word-frequency list