leíanvsllenanWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#44,830
“leían” frequency rank
#10,170
“llenan” frequency rank
55000
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature leían llenan
Definition Tercera persona del plural (ellos, ellas; ustedes, 2.ª persona) del pretérito imperfecto de indicativo de leer. Tercera persona del plural (ellos, ellas; ustedes, 2.ª persona) del presente de indicativo de llenar.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set leían and llenan apart are highlighted. They share 4 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

5 ch
leían
6 ch
llenan

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. leían ([leˈiãn]) and llenan ([ˈʝenãn]) 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 55000, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

leían is recorded at frequency rank #44,830, classified as averb, pronounced [leˈiãn]. llenan is at rank #10,170, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈʝenãn].

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 55000, this pair ranks #80,830 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of leían vs llenan

Shared letters: aeln. Private to "leían": í. Private to "llenan": -.

"leían" · 5 letters · shape CVVVC  ·  "llenan" · 6 letters · shape CCVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • llenanlelnan · lenan · lleann · llenann · llennan · llnean

Frequency comparison

leían#44,830
llenan#10,170

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "leían" and "llenan" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([leˈiãn] versus [ˈʝenãn]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "leían" or "llenan"?
"llenan" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #10,170 in our Spanish list, against #44,830 for "leían". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering leían vs llenan

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 “leían” 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