mentidovsmentirWhat's the difference?

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 spellings diverge

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

7 ch
mentido
6 ch
mentir

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

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

  • mentidoemntido · menitdo · menntido · mentdio · mentiddo · mentiod · menttido · metnido
  • mentiremntir · menitr · menntir · mentirr · mentri · menttir · metnir · mmentir

Frequency comparison

mentido#21,404
mentir#5,331

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "mentido" and "mentir" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([mẽn̪ˈt̪ið̞o] versus [mẽn̪ˈt̪iɾ]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "mentido" or "mentir"?
"mentir" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #5,331 in our Spanish list, against #21,404 for "mentido". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering mentido vs mentir

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 “mentido” 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