Which to use
“ocurra” and “ocurría” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #5,236
- “ocurra” frequency rank
- #13,302
- “ocurría” frequency rank
- 18538
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | ocurra | ocurría |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Primera persona del singular (yo) del presente de subjuntivo de ocurrir. | Primera persona del singular (yo) del pretérito imperfecto de indicativo de ocurrir. |
Where the eye mixes ocurra and ocurría
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses ocurra with ocurría
A purely visual mix-up. ocurra ([oˈkura]) and ocurría ([okuˈria]) 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 18538, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
ocurra is recorded at frequency rank #5,236, classified as averb, pronounced [oˈkura]. ocurría is at rank #13,302, tagged as averb, pronounced [okuˈria].
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 18538, this pair ranks #267,504 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of ocurra vs ocurría
Shared letters: acoru. Private to "ocurra": -. Private to "ocurría": í.
"ocurra" · 6 letters · shape VCVCCV · "ocurría" · 7 letters · shape VCVCCVV
Known mistypes of this pair
- ocurra ← courra · occurra · ocrura · ocura · ocurar · oucrra
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "ocurra" for "ocurría" ever safe?
Which is more common, "ocurra" or "ocurría"?
Useful next steps
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "ocurra" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "ocurría" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #267,504 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "ocurra" and "ocurría" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "ocurría vs ocurrían". 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 #267,504 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.