Which to use
“merecen” and “merecía” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #3,940
- “merecen” frequency rank
- #10,028
- “merecía” frequency rank
- 13968
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | merecen | merecía |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Tercera persona del plural (ellos, ellas; ustedes, 2.ª persona) del presente de indicativo de merecer o de merecerse. | Primera persona del singular (yo) del pretérito imperfecto de indicativo de merecer o de merecerse. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set merecen and merecía apart are highlighted. They share 5 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
A purely visual mix-up. merecen ([meˈɾesẽn]) and merecía ([meɾeˈsia]) 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 13968, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
merecen is recorded at frequency rank #3,940, classified as averb, pronounced [meˈɾesẽn]. merecía is at rank #10,028, tagged as averb, pronounced [meɾeˈsia].
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 13968, this pair ranks #285,885 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of merecen vs merecía
Shared letters: cemr. Private to "merecen": n. Private to "merecía": aí.
"merecen" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCVC · "merecía" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCVV
Known mistypes of this pair
- merecen ← emrecen · meercen · merceen · mereccen · merecenn · merecne · mereecn · meresen
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "merecen" and "merecía" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "merecen" or "merecía"?
Remembering merecen vs merecía
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 “merecen” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable