durmiendovsdurmienteWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: durmiendo is a verb, durmiente is an adjective, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“durmiendo” is a verb and “durmiente” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#5,097
“durmiendo” frequency rank
#29,617
“durmiente” frequency rank
34714
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature durmiendo durmiente
Definition Gerundio irregular de dormir. Que duerme.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set durmiendo and durmiente apart are highlighted. They share 7 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

9 ch
durmiendo
9 ch
durmiente

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: durmiendo is [d̪uɾˈmjẽn̪d̪o] while durmiente is [d̪uɾˈmjẽn̪t̪e]. 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 (verb vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 34714, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

durmiendo is recorded at frequency rank #5,097, classified as averb, pronounced [d̪uɾˈmjẽn̪d̪o]. durmiente is at rank #29,617, tagged as anadj, pronounced [d̪uɾˈmjẽn̪t̪e].

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 34714, this pair ranks #189,962 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of durmiendo vs durmiente

Shared letters: deimnru. Private to "durmiendo": o. Private to "durmiente": t.

"durmiendo" · 9 letters · shape CVCCVVCCV  ·  "durmiente" · 9 letters · shape CVCCVVCCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • durmiendoddurmiendo · drumiendo · dumriendo · durimendo · durmeindo · durmiedno · durmienddo · durmienndo
  • durmienteddurmiente · drumiente · dumriente · durimente · durmeinte · durmienet · durmiennte · durmientte

Frequency comparison

durmiendo#5,097
durmiente#29,617

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "durmiendo" and "durmiente" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "durmiendo" is a verb and "durmiente" an adjective, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "durmiendo" or "durmiente"?
"durmiendo" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #5,097 in our Spanish list, against #29,617 for "durmiente". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering durmiendo vs durmiente

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “durmiendo”; for an adjective, it's “durmiente”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “durmiendo” 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