existíanvsexistiríanWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#7,996
“existían” frequency rank
#47,129
“existirían” frequency rank
55125
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature existían existirían
Definition Tercera persona del plural (ellos, ellas; ustedes, 2.ª persona) del pretérito imperfecto de indicativo de existir. Tercera persona del plural (ellos, ellas; ustedes, 2.ª persona) del condicional de existir.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set existían and existirían apart are highlighted. They share 8 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

8 ch
existían
10 ch
existirían

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. existían ([eksisˈt̪iãn]) and existirían ([eksist̪iˈɾiãn]) 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 2 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 55125, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

existían is recorded at frequency rank #7,996, classified as averb, pronounced [eksisˈt̪iãn]. existirían is at rank #47,129, tagged as averb, pronounced [eksist̪iˈɾiãn].

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 55125, this pair ranks #80,292 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of existían vs existirían

Shared letters: aeinstxí. Private to "existían": -. Private to "existirían": r.

"existían" · 8 letters · shape VCVCCVVC  ·  "existirían" · 10 letters · shape VCVCCVCVVC

Frequency comparison

existían#7,996
existirían#47,129

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "existían" and "existirían" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([eksisˈt̪iãn] versus [eksist̪iˈɾiãn]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "existían" or "existirían"?
"existían" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #7,996 in our Spanish list, against #47,129 for "existirían". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering existían vs existirían

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 “existían” 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