gastevsgustenWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#24,165
“gaste” frequency rank
#12,392
“gusten” frequency rank
36557
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature gaste gusten
Definition Primera persona del singular (yo) del presente de subjuntivo de gastar o de gastarse. Tercera persona del plural (ellos, ellas; ustedes, 2.ª persona) del presente de subjuntivo de gustar.

Where the spellings diverge

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

5 ch
gaste
6 ch
gusten

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. gaste ([ˈgast̪e]) and gusten ([ˈgust̪ẽn]) 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 36557, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

gaste is recorded at frequency rank #24,165, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈgast̪e]. gusten is at rank #12,392, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈgust̪ẽn].

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 36557, this pair ranks #180,007 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of gaste vs gusten

Shared letters: egst. Private to "gaste": a. Private to "gusten": nu.

"gaste" · 5 letters · shape CVCCV  ·  "gusten" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • gasteagste · gaset · gasste · gastte · ggaste · gsate
  • gustenggusten · gsuten · gusetn · gussten · gustenn · gustne · gustten · gutsen

Frequency comparison

gaste#24,165
gusten#12,392

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "gaste" and "gusten" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈgast̪e] versus [ˈgust̪ẽn]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "gaste" or "gusten"?
"gusten" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #12,392 in our Spanish list, against #24,165 for "gaste". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering gaste vs gusten

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 “gaste” 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