merecesvsmerecíasWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#8,839
“mereces” frequency rank
#47,259
“merecías” frequency rank
56098
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature mereces merecías
Definition Segunda persona del singular (tú) del presente de indicativo de merecer o de merecerse. Segunda persona del singular (tú, vos) del pretérito imperfecto de indicativo de merecer o de merecerse.

Where the spellings diverge

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

7 ch
mereces
8 ch
merecías

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. mereces ([meˈɾeses]) and merecías ([meɾeˈsias]) 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 56098, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

mereces is recorded at frequency rank #8,839, classified as averb, pronounced [meˈɾeses]. merecías is at rank #47,259, tagged as averb, pronounced [meɾeˈsias].

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 56098, this pair ranks #76,051 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of mereces vs merecías

Shared letters: cemrs. Private to "mereces": -. Private to "merecías": .

"mereces" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCVC  ·  "merecías" · 8 letters · shape CVCVCVVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • merecesemreces · meerces · mercees · merecces · merecess · merecse · mereecs · mereses

Frequency comparison

mereces#8,839
merecías#47,259

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "mereces" and "merecías" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([meˈɾeses] versus [meɾeˈsias]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "mereces" or "merecías"?
"mereces" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #8,839 in our Spanish list, against #47,259 for "merecías". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering mereces vs merecías

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 “mereces” 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