Which to use
“ocurría” and “ocurrían” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #13,302
- “ocurría” frequency rank
- #43,749
- “ocurrían” frequency rank
- 57051
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | ocurría | ocurrían |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Primera persona del singular (yo) del pretérito imperfecto de indicativo de ocurrir. | Tercera persona del plural (ellos, ellas; ustedes, 2.ª persona) del pretérito imperfecto de indicativo de ocurrir. |
Where the eye mixes ocurría and ocurrían
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence. ocurría runs 7 letters (VCVCCVV) against ocurrían's 8 (VCVCCVVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Visual trap between ocurría and ocurrían
A purely visual mix-up. ocurría ([okuˈria]) and ocurrían ([okuˈriãn]) 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) - “ocurría” sits inside “ocurrían”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 57051, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
ocurría is recorded at frequency rank #13,302, classified as averb, pronounced [okuˈria]. ocurrían is at rank #43,749, tagged as averb, pronounced [okuˈriãn].
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 57051, this pair ranks #72,066 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of ocurría vs ocurrían
Shared letters: acoruí. Private to "ocurría": -. Private to "ocurrían": n.
"ocurría" · 7 letters · shape VCVCCVV · "ocurrían" · 8 letters · shape VCVCCVVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "ocurría" for "ocurrían" ever safe?
Which is more common, "ocurría" or "ocurrían"?
What to do next
Eye-level mix-up between "ocurría" and "ocurrían" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "ocurría" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "ocurrían" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #72,066 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "ocurría" and "ocurrían" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "ocurrían vs ocurridas". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #72,066 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.