Which to use
“mentido” and “mentir” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #21,404
- “mentido” frequency rank
- #5,331
- “mentir” frequency rank
- 26735
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | mentido | mentir |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Participio de mentir. | Decir algo que es falso o negar la verdad. |
Where the eye mixes mentido and mentir
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence. mentido runs 7 letters (CVCCVCV) against mentir's 6 (CVCCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses mentido with mentir
A purely visual mix-up. mentido ([mẽn̪ˈt̪ið̞o]) and mentir ([mẽn̪ˈt̪iɾ]) 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 26735, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
mentido is recorded at frequency rank #21,404, classified as averb, pronounced [mẽn̪ˈt̪ið̞o]. mentir is at rank #5,331, tagged as averb, pronounced [mẽn̪ˈt̪iɾ].
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 26735, this pair ranks #230,216 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of mentido vs mentir
Shared letters: eimnt. Private to "mentido": do. Private to "mentir": r.
"mentido" · 7 letters · shape CVCCVCV · "mentir" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "mentido" and "mentir" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "mentido" or "mentir"?
After this comparison
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "mentido" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "mentir" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #230,216 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "mentido" and "mentir" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "mentí vs mentido". 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 #230,216 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.