duermevsduermoWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#5,824
“duerme” frequency rank
#11,761
“duermo” frequency rank
17585
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature duerme duermo
Definition Tercera persona del singular (él, ella, ello; usted, 2.ª persona) del presente de indicativo de dormir o de dormirse. Primera persona del singular (yo) del presente de indicativo de dormir o de dormirse.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set duerme and duermo apart are highlighted. They share 5 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

6 ch
duerme
6 ch
duermo

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. duerme ([ˈd̪weɾme]) and duermo ([ˈd̪weɾmo]) 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 a single letter - e in “duerme” becomes o in “duermo”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 17585, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

duerme is recorded at frequency rank #5,824, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈd̪weɾme]. duermo is at rank #11,761, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈd̪weɾmo].

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 17585, this pair ranks #271,529 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of duerme vs duermo

Shared letters: demru. Private to "duerme": -. Private to "duermo": o.

"duerme" · 6 letters · shape CVVCCV  ·  "duermo" · 6 letters · shape CVVCCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • duermedduerme · deurme · duemre · duerem · duermme · duerrme · dureme · uderme
  • duermodduermo · deurmo · duemro · duermmo · duerom · duerrmo · duremo · udermo

Frequency comparison

duerme#5,824
duermo#11,761

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "duerme" and "duermo" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈd̪weɾme] versus [ˈd̪weɾmo]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "duerme" or "duermo"?
"duerme" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #5,824 in our Spanish list, against #11,761 for "duermo". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering duerme vs duermo

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 “duerme” 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