Which to use
“exigir” and “existir” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #4,245
- “exigir” frequency rank
- #3,119
- “existir” frequency rank
- 7364
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | exigir | existir |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Cobrar, percibir, sacar a alguien por autoridad pública dinero u otra cosa. | Tener realidad; ser real o verdadero; tener existencia. |
Where the eye mixes exigir and existir
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses exigir with existir
A purely visual mix-up. exigir ([eksiˈxiɾ]) and existir ([eksisˈt̪iɾ]) 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 7364, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
exigir is recorded at frequency rank #4,245, classified as averb, pronounced [eksiˈxiɾ]. existir is at rank #3,119, tagged as averb, pronounced [eksisˈt̪iɾ].
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 7364, this pair ranks #308,197 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of exigir vs existir
Shared letters: eirx. Private to "exigir": g. Private to "existir": st.
"exigir" · 6 letters · shape VCVCVC · "existir" · 7 letters · shape VCVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "exigir" for "existir" ever safe?
Which is more common, "exigir" or "existir"?
After this comparison
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "exigir" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "existir" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #308,197 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "exigir" and "existir" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "exigir vs exigiría". Nearby pair
- Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes
Confusion rank #308,197 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.