metíavsmetíanWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#18,897
“metía” frequency rank
#40,394
“metían” frequency rank
59291
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature metía metían
Definition Primera persona del singular (yo) del pretérito imperfecto de indicativo de meter o de meterse. Tercera persona del plural (ellos, ellas; ustedes, 2.ª persona) del pretérito imperfecto de indicativo de meter o de meterse.

Where the spellings diverge

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

5 ch
metía
6 ch
metían

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. metía ([meˈt̪ia]) and metían ([meˈt̪iãn]) 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 extra letter(s) - “metía” sits inside “metían”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 59291, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

metía is recorded at frequency rank #18,897, classified as averb, pronounced [meˈt̪ia]. metían is at rank #40,394, tagged as averb, pronounced [meˈt̪iãn].

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 59291, this pair ranks #63,189 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of metía vs metían

Shared letters: aemtí. Private to "metía": -. Private to "metían": n.

"metía" · 5 letters · shape CVCVV  ·  "metían" · 6 letters · shape CVCVVC

Frequency comparison

metía#18,897
metían#40,394

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "metía" and "metían" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([meˈt̪ia] versus [meˈt̪iãn]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "metía" or "metían"?
"metía" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #18,897 in our Spanish list, against #40,394 for "metían". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering metía vs metían

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 “metía” 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