Which to use
“ocurre” and “ocurren” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #1,387
- “ocurre” frequency rank
- #6,931
- “ocurren” frequency rank
- 8318
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | ocurre | ocurren |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Tercera persona del singular (él, ella, ello; usted, 2.ª persona) del presente de indicativo de ocurrir. | Tercera persona del plural (ellos, ellas; ustedes, 2.ª persona) del presente de indicativo de ocurrir. |
Where the eye mixes ocurre and ocurren
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence. ocurre runs 6 letters (VCVCCV) against ocurren's 7 (VCVCCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Look-alike desk: ocurre vs ocurren
A purely visual mix-up. ocurre ([oˈkure]) and ocurren ([oˈkurẽn]) 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) - “ocurre” sits inside “ocurren”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 8318, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
ocurre is recorded at frequency rank #1,387, classified as averb, pronounced [oˈkure]. ocurren is at rank #6,931, tagged as averb, pronounced [oˈkurẽn].
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 8318, this pair ranks #305,361 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of ocurre vs ocurren
Shared letters: ceoru. Private to "ocurre": -. Private to "ocurren": n.
"ocurre" · 6 letters · shape VCVCCV · "ocurren" · 7 letters · shape VCVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "ocurre" for "ocurren" ever safe?
In ordinary Spanish text, does "ocurre" or "ocurren" show up more?
Useful next steps
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "ocurre" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "ocurren" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #305,361 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "ocurre" and "ocurren" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "ocurren vs ocurrente". 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 #305,361 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.