Which to use
“gustar” and “gusten” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #6,542
- “gustar” frequency rank
- #12,392
- “gusten” frequency rank
- 18934
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | gustar | gusten |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Ser agradable, obtener aprobación. | Tercera persona del plural (ellos, ellas; ustedes, 2.ª persona) del presente de subjuntivo de gustar. |
Where the eye mixes gustar and gusten
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence. gustar and gusten follow the identical consonant-vowel pattern (CVCCVC). Same shape at a glance is often the real trap, independent of shared letters.
Look-alike desk: gustar vs gusten
A purely visual mix-up. gustar ([gusˈt̪aɾ]) 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 share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 18934, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
gustar is recorded at frequency rank #6,542, classified as averb, pronounced [gusˈt̪aɾ]. 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 18934, this pair ranks #265,864 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of gustar vs gusten
Shared letters: gstu. Private to "gustar": ar. Private to "gusten": en.
"gustar" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC · "gusten" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "gustar" for "gusten" ever safe?
Frequency check: "gustar" vs "gusten" - which ranks higher?
After this comparison
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "gustar" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "gusten" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #265,864 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "gustar" and "gusten" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "gestar vs gustar". Nearby pair
- Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes
Confusion rank #265,864 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.