enviabavsenvíanWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#23,396
“enviaba” frequency rank
#9,812
“envían” frequency rank
33208
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature enviaba envían
Definition Primera persona del singular (yo) del pretérito imperfecto de indicativo de enviar. Tercera persona del plural (ellos, ellas; ustedes, 2.ª persona) del presente de indicativo de enviar.

Where the spellings diverge

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

7 ch
enviaba
6 ch
envían

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. enviaba ([ẽmˈbjaβ̞a]) and envían ([ẽmˈbiãn]) 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 33208, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

enviaba is recorded at frequency rank #23,396, classified as averb, pronounced [ẽmˈbjaβ̞a]. envían is at rank #9,812, tagged as averb, pronounced [ẽmˈbiãn].

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 33208, this pair ranks #198,027 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of enviaba vs envían

Shared letters: aenv. Private to "enviaba": bi. Private to "envían": í.

"enviaba" · 7 letters · shape VCCVVCV  ·  "envían" · 6 letters · shape VCCVVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • enviabaenbiaba · enivaba · ennviaba · envaiba · enviaab · enviabba · enviava · envibaa

Frequency comparison

enviaba#23,396
envían#9,812

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "enviaba" and "envían" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ẽmˈbjaβ̞a] versus [ẽmˈbiãn]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "enviaba" or "envían"?
"envían" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #9,812 in our Spanish list, against #23,396 for "enviaba". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering enviaba vs envían

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 “enviaba” 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