faltarvsfaltenWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#7,023
“faltar” frequency rank
#26,847
“falten” frequency rank
33870
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature faltar falten
Definition No estar en un sitio. Tercera persona del plural (ellos, ellas; ustedes, 2.ª persona) del presente de subjuntivo de faltar.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set faltar and falten apart are highlighted. They share 4 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

6 ch
faltar
6 ch
falten

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. faltar ([fal̪ˈt̪aɾ]) and falten ([ˈfal̪t̪ẽn]) 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 33870, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

faltar is recorded at frequency rank #7,023, classified as averb, pronounced [fal̪ˈt̪aɾ]. falten is at rank #26,847, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈfal̪t̪ẽn].

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 33870, this pair ranks #194,459 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of faltar vs falten

Shared letters: aflt. Private to "faltar": r. Private to "falten": en.

"faltar" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC  ·  "falten" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • faltarafltar · falatr · falltar · faltarr · faltra · falttar · fatlar · ffaltar
  • faltenaflten · faletn · fallten · faltenn · faltne · faltten · fatlen · ffalten

Frequency comparison

faltar#7,023
falten#26,847

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "faltar" and "falten" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([fal̪ˈt̪aɾ] versus [ˈfal̪t̪ẽn]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "faltar" or "falten"?
"faltar" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #7,023 in our Spanish list, against #26,847 for "falten". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering faltar vs falten

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 “faltar” 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