gobernóvsgobierneWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#16,601
“gobernó” frequency rank
#23,075
“gobierne” frequency rank
39676
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature gobernó gobierne
Definition Tercera persona del singular (él, ella, ello; usted, 2.ª persona) del pretérito perfecto simple de indicativo de gobernar o de gobernarse. Primera persona del singular (yo) del presente de subjuntivo de gobernar o de gobernarse.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set gobernó and gobierne apart are highlighted. They share 6 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

7 ch
gobernó
8 ch
gobierne

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. gobernó ([goβ̞eɾˈno]) and gobierne ([goˈβ̞jeɾne]) 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 39676, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

gobernó is recorded at frequency rank #16,601, classified as averb, pronounced [goβ̞eɾˈno]. gobierne is at rank #23,075, tagged as averb, pronounced [goˈβ̞jeɾne].

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 39676, this pair ranks #163,239 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of gobernó vs gobierne

Shared letters: begnor. Private to "gobernó": ó. Private to "gobierne": i.

"gobernó" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCCV  ·  "gobierne" · 8 letters · shape CVCVVCCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • gobiernegboierne · ggobierne · gobbierne · gobeirne · gobienre · gobieren · gobiernne · gobierrne

Frequency comparison

gobernó#16,601
gobierne#23,075

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "gobernó" and "gobierne" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([goβ̞eɾˈno] versus [goˈβ̞jeɾne]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "gobernó" or "gobierne"?
"gobernó" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #16,601 in our Spanish list, against #23,075 for "gobierne". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering gobernó vs gobierne

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 “gobernó” 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