encontrásvsencontréConfusable pair

Which to use

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

#42,418
“encontrás” frequency rank
#2,164
“encontré” frequency rank
44582
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature encontrás encontré
Definition Segunda persona del singular (vos) del presente de indicativo de encontrar o de encontrarse. Primera persona del singular (yo) del pretérito perfecto simple de indicativo de encontrar o de encontrarse.

Where the eye mixes encontrás and encontré

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence. encontrás runs 9 letters (VCCVCCCVC) against encontré's 8 (VCCVCCCV) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.

9 ch
encontrás
8 ch
encontré

Why the eye confuses encontrás with encontré

A purely visual mix-up. encontrás ([ẽŋkõn̪ˈt̪ɾas]) and encontré ([ẽŋkõn̪ˈt̪ɾe]) 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 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 44582, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

encontrás is recorded at frequency rank #42,418, classified as averb, pronounced [ẽŋkõn̪ˈt̪ɾas]. encontré is at rank #2,164, tagged as averb, pronounced [ẽŋkõn̪ˈt̪ɾe].

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 44582, this pair ranks #136,243 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of encontrás vs encontré

Shared letters: cenort. Private to "encontrás": sá. Private to "encontré": é.

"encontrás" · 9 letters · shape VCCVCCCVC  ·  "encontré" · 8 letters · shape VCCVCCCV

Frequently Asked Questions

Is swapping "encontrás" for "encontré" ever safe?
No. They are said differently ([ẽŋkõn̪ˈt̪ɾas] versus [ẽŋkõn̪ˈt̪ɾe]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "encontrás" or "encontré"?
"encontré" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #2,164 in our Spanish list, against #42,418 for "encontrás". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

Useful next steps

Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.

  • Full dictionary entry for "encontrás" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "encontré" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #136,243 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "encontrás" and "encontré" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "encontrás vs encontrase". Nearby pair

Confusion rank #136,243 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