Which to use
“fue” and “fui” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #44
- “fue” frequency rank
- #852
- “fui” frequency rank
- 896
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | fue | fui |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Tercera persona del singular (él, ella, ello; usted, 2.ª persona) del pretérito perfecto simple de indicativo de ir. | Primera persona del singular (yo) del pretérito perfecto simple de indicativo de ser. |
Where the eye mixes fue and fui
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses fue with fui
A purely visual mix-up. fue ([ˈfwe]) and fui ([ˈfwi]) 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 “fue” becomes i in “fui”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 896, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
fue is recorded at frequency rank #44, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈfwe]. fui is at rank #852, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈfwi].
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 896, this pair ranks #322,823 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of fue vs fui
Shared letters: fu. Private to "fue": e. Private to "fui": i.
"fue" · 3 letters · shape CVV · "fui" · 3 letters · shape CVV
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "fue" for "fui" ever safe?
Frequency check: "fue" vs "fui" - which ranks higher?
What to do next
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "fue" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "fui" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #322,823 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "fue" and "fui" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "fue vs fuste". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #322,823 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.