establecenvsestablecerWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#9,292
“establecen” frequency rank
#2,079
“establecer” frequency rank
11371
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature establecen establecer
Definition Tercera persona del plural (ellos, ellas; ustedes, 2.ª persona) del presente de indicativo de establecer o de establecerse. Iniciar o crear una institución, organismo u otra cosa que pasa a tener existencia y actividad.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set establecen and establecer apart are highlighted. They share 9 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

10 ch
establecen
10 ch
establecer

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. establecen ([est̪aˈβ̞lesẽn]) and establecer ([est̪aβ̞leˈseɾ]) 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 - n in “establecen” becomes r in “establecer”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 11371, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

establecen is recorded at frequency rank #9,292, classified as averb, pronounced [est̪aˈβ̞lesẽn]. establecer is at rank #2,079, tagged as averb, pronounced [est̪aβ̞leˈseɾ].

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 11371, this pair ranks #295,353 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of establecen vs establecer

Shared letters: abcelst. Private to "establecen": n. Private to "establecer": r.

"establecen" · 10 letters · shape VCCVCCVCVC  ·  "establecer" · 10 letters · shape VCCVCCVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • establecenesatblecen · esstablecen · estabblecen · estabelcen · establceen · estableccen · establecenn · establecne
  • estableceresatblecer · esstablecer · estabblecer · estabelcer · establceer · estableccer · establecerr · establecre

Frequency comparison

establecen#9,292
establecer#2,079

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "establecen" and "establecer" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([est̪aˈβ̞lesẽn] versus [est̪aβ̞leˈseɾ]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "establecen" or "establecer"?
"establecer" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #2,079 in our Spanish list, against #9,292 for "establecen". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering establecen vs establecer

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 “establecen” 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