Which to use
“existe” and “existo” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #534
- “existe” frequency rank
- #26,441
- “existo” frequency rank
- 26975
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | existe | existo |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Tercera persona del singular (él, ella, ello; usted, 2.ª persona) del presente de indicativo de existir. | Primera persona del singular (yo) del presente de indicativo de existir. |
Where the eye mixes existe and existo
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses existe with existo
A purely visual mix-up. existe ([ekˈsist̪e]) and existo ([ekˈsist̪o]) 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 - e in “existe” becomes o in “existo”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 26975, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
existe is recorded at frequency rank #534, classified as averb, pronounced [ekˈsist̪e]. existo is at rank #26,441, tagged as averb, pronounced [ekˈsist̪o].
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 26975, this pair ranks #229,011 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of existe vs existo
Shared letters: eistx. Private to "existe": -. Private to "existo": o.
"existe" · 6 letters · shape VCVCCV · "existo" · 6 letters · shape VCVCCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "existe" and "existo" be used interchangeably?
Frequency check: "existe" vs "existo" - which ranks higher?
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 "existe" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "existo" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #229,011 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "existe" and "existo" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "existo vs exit". 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 #229,011 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.