Which to use
“obedecen” and “obedecer” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #25,375
- “obedecen” frequency rank
- #12,661
- “obedecer” frequency rank
- 38036
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | obedecen | obedecer |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Tercera persona del plural (ellos, ellas; ustedes, 2.ª persona) del presente de indicativo de obedecer. | Respetar la voluntad de alguien en especial de la autoridad. |
Where the eye mixes obedecen and obedecer
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence.
Look-alike desk: obedecen vs obedecer
A purely visual mix-up. obedecen ([oβ̞eˈð̞esẽn]) and obedecer ([oβ̞eð̞eˈseɾ]) 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 a single letter - n in “obedecen” becomes r in “obedecer”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 38036, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
obedecen is recorded at frequency rank #25,375, classified as averb, pronounced [oβ̞eˈð̞esẽn]. obedecer is at rank #12,661, tagged as averb, pronounced [oβ̞eð̞eˈseɾ].
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 38036, this pair ranks #172,159 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of obedecen vs obedecer
Shared letters: bcdeo. Private to "obedecen": n. Private to "obedecer": r.
"obedecen" · 8 letters · shape VCVCVCVC · "obedecer" · 8 letters · shape VCVCVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "obedecen" and "obedecer" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Frequency check: "obedecen" vs "obedecer" - which ranks higher?
What to do next
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "obedecen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "obedecer" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #172,159 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "obedecen" and "obedecer" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "obedecen vs obedeció". Nearby pair
- Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes
Confusion rank #172,159 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.