gobiernanvsgobiernoWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: gobiernan is a verb, gobierno is a noun, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“gobiernan” is a verb and “gobierno” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#15,631
“gobiernan” frequency rank
#132
“gobierno” frequency rank
15763
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature gobiernan gobierno
Definition Tercera persona del plural (ellos, ellas; ustedes, 2.ª persona) del presente de indicativo de gobernar o de gobernarse. Acción o efecto de gobernar.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set gobiernan and gobierno apart are highlighted. They share 7 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

9 ch
gobiernan
8 ch
gobierno

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: gobiernan is [goˈβ̞jeɾnãn] while gobierno is [goˈβ̞jeɾno]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 15763, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

gobiernan is recorded at frequency rank #15,631, classified as averb, pronounced [goˈβ̞jeɾnãn]. gobierno is at rank #132, tagged as anoun, pronounced [goˈβ̞jeɾno].

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 15763, this pair ranks #278,895 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of gobiernan vs gobierno

Shared letters: beginor. Private to "gobiernan": a. Private to "gobierno": -.

"gobiernan" · 9 letters · shape CVCVVCCVC  ·  "gobierno" · 8 letters · shape CVCVVCCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • gobiernangboiernan · ggobiernan · gobbiernan · gobeirnan · gobienran · gobierann · gobiernann · gobiernnan
  • gobiernogboierno · ggobierno · gobbierno · gobeirno · gobienro · gobiernno · gobieron · gobierrno

Frequency comparison

gobiernan#15,631
gobierno#132

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "gobiernan" and "gobierno" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "gobiernan" is a verb and "gobierno" a noun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "gobiernan" or "gobierno"?
"gobierno" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #132 in our Spanish list, against #15,631 for "gobiernan". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

Remembering gobiernan vs gobierno

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “gobiernan”; for a noun, it's “gobierno”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “gobiernan” 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