Which to use
“duende” is a noun and “duerme” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #17,671
- “duende” frequency rank
- #5,824
- “duerme” frequency rank
- 23495
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | duende | duerme |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Pequeña criatura mitológica de pequeño tamaño. | Tercera persona del singular (él, ella, ello; usted, 2.ª persona) del presente de indicativo de dormir o de dormirse. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set duende and duerme apart are highlighted. They share 4 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: duende is [ˈd̪wẽn̪d̪e] while duerme is [ˈd̪weɾme]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (noun vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 23495, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
duende is recorded at frequency rank #17,671, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈd̪wẽn̪d̪e]. duerme is at rank #5,824, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈd̪weɾme].
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 23495, this pair ranks #245,540 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of duende vs duerme
Shared letters: deu. Private to "duende": n. Private to "duerme": mr.
"duende" · 6 letters · shape CVVCCV · "duerme" · 6 letters · shape CVVCCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "duende" and "duerme" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "duende" or "duerme"?
Remembering duende vs duerme
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a noun, it's “duende”; for a verb, it's “duerme”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “duende” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable