merecenvsmerezcanWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#3,940
“merecen” frequency rank
#38,239
“merezcan” frequency rank
42179
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature merecen merezcan
Definition Tercera persona del plural (ellos, ellas; ustedes, 2.ª persona) del presente de indicativo de merecer o de merecerse. Tercera persona del plural (ellos, ellas; ustedes, 2.ª persona) del presente de subjuntivo de merecer o de merecerse.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set merecen and merezcan apart are highlighted. They share 6 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

7 ch
merecen
8 ch
merezcan

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. merecen ([meˈɾesẽn]) and merezcan ([meˈɾeskãn]) 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 42179, 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]. merezcan is at rank #38,239, tagged as averb, pronounced [meˈɾeskãn].

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 42179, this pair ranks #149,681 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of merecen vs merezcan

Shared letters: cemnr. Private to "merecen": -. Private to "merezcan": az.

"merecen" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCVC  ·  "merezcan" · 8 letters · shape CVCVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • merecenemrecen · meercen · merceen · mereccen · merecenn · merecne · mereecn · meresen
  • merezcanemrezcan · meerzcan · mereczan · merezacn · merezcann · merezccan · merezcna · merezzcan

Frequency comparison

merecen#3,940
merezcan#38,239

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "merecen" and "merezcan" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([meˈɾesẽn] versus [meˈɾeskãn]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "merecen" or "merezcan"?
"merecen" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #3,940 in our Spanish list, against #38,239 for "merezcan". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering merecen vs merezcan

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

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list