Which to use
“hieren” and “hierva” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #35,072
- “hieren” frequency rank
- #49,052
- “hierva” frequency rank
- 84124
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | hieren | hierva |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Tercera persona del plural (ellos, ellas; ustedes, 2.ª persona) del presente de indicativo de herir. | Primera persona del singular (yo) del presente de subjuntivo de hervir. |
Where the eye mixes hieren and hierva
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence. hieren (CVVCVC) and hierva (CVVCCV) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Look-alike desk: hieren vs hierva
A purely visual mix-up. hieren ([ˈjeɾẽn]) and hierva ([ˈjeɾβ̞a]) 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 84124, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
hieren is recorded at frequency rank #35,072, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈjeɾẽn]. hierva is at rank #49,052, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈjeɾβ̞a].
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 84124, this pair ranks #7,376 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of hieren vs hierva
Shared letters: ehir. Private to "hieren": n. Private to "hierva": av.
"hieren" · 6 letters · shape CVVCVC · "hierva" · 6 letters · shape CVVCCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "hieren" and "hierva" be used interchangeably?
In ordinary Spanish text, does "hieren" or "hierva" show up more?
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 "hieren" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "hierva" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #7,376 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "hieren" and "hierva" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Hidra vs hierva". 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 #7,376 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.