escribirvsescribísWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#964
“escribir” frequency rank
#40,814
“escribís” frequency rank
41778
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature escribir escribís
Definition Utilizar letras o signos grabados sobre una superficie para representar las palabras. Segunda persona del singular (vos) del presente de indicativo de escribir o de escribirse.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set escribir and escribís apart are highlighted. They share 6 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

8 ch
escribir
8 ch
escribís

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. escribir ([eskɾiˈβ̞iɾ]) and escribís ([eskɾiˈβ̞is]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 41778, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

escribir is recorded at frequency rank #964, classified as averb, pronounced [eskɾiˈβ̞iɾ]. escribís is at rank #40,814, tagged as averb, pronounced [eskɾiˈβ̞is].

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 41778, this pair ranks #151,840 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of escribir vs escribís

Shared letters: bceirs. Private to "escribir": -. Private to "escribís": í.

"escribir" · 8 letters · shape VCCCVCVC  ·  "escribís" · 8 letters · shape VCCCVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • escribirecsribir · esccribir · escirbir · escrbiir · escribbir · escribirr · escribri · escriibr

Frequency comparison

escribir#964
escribís#40,814

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "escribir" and "escribís" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([eskɾiˈβ̞iɾ] versus [eskɾiˈβ̞is]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "escribir" or "escribís"?
"escribir" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #964 in our Spanish list, against #40,814 for "escribís". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

Remembering escribir vs escribís

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 “escribir” 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