influirvsinfluyeWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#9,306
“influir” frequency rank
#11,068
“influye” frequency rank
20374
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature influir influye
Definition Alterar o cambiar la forma de pensar o actuar de una persona o cosa. Tercera persona del singular (él, ella, ello; usted, 2.ª persona) del presente de indicativo de influir.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set influir and influye apart are highlighted. They share 5 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

7 ch
influir
7 ch
influye

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. influir ([ĩɱˈflwiɾ]) and influye ([ĩɱˈfluʝe]) 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 20374, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

influir is recorded at frequency rank #9,306, classified as averb, pronounced [ĩɱˈflwiɾ]. influye is at rank #11,068, tagged as averb, pronounced [ĩɱˈfluʝe].

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 20374, this pair ranks #259,618 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of influir vs influye

Shared letters: filnu. Private to "influir": r. Private to "influye": ey.

"influir" · 7 letters · shape VCCCVVC  ·  "influye" · 7 letters · shape VCCCVVV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • influirifnluir · inffluir · infliur · inflluir · influirr · influri · infulir · inlfuir
  • influyeifnluye · inffluye · inflluye · influey · influyye · inflyue · infulye · inlfuye

Frequency comparison

influir#9,306
influye#11,068

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "influir" and "influye" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ĩɱˈflwiɾ] versus [ĩɱˈfluʝe]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "influir" or "influye"?
"influir" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #9,306 in our Spanish list, against #11,068 for "influye". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering influir vs influye

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 “influir” 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 FrequencyWords open word-frequency list