Which to use
“ocurría” and “ocurrir” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #13,302
- “ocurría” frequency rank
- #4,628
- “ocurrir” frequency rank
- 17930
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | ocurría | ocurrir |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Primera persona del singular (yo) del pretérito imperfecto de indicativo de ocurrir. | Aparecer algo sin una causa determinada, producirse espontáneamente. |
Where the eye mixes ocurría and ocurrir
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence. ocurría (VCVCCVV) and ocurrir (VCVCCVC) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Visual trap between ocurría and ocurrir
A purely visual mix-up. ocurría ([okuˈria]) and ocurrir ([okuˈriɾ]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 17930, 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]. ocurrir is at rank #4,628, tagged as averb, pronounced [okuˈriɾ].
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 17930, this pair ranks #270,033 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of ocurría vs ocurrir
Shared letters: coru. Private to "ocurría": aí. Private to "ocurrir": i.
"ocurría" · 7 letters · shape VCVCCVV · "ocurrir" · 7 letters · shape VCVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- ocurrir ← courrir · occurrir · ocrurir · ocurir · ocurirr · ocurrirr · ocurrri · oucrrir
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "ocurría" for "ocurrir" ever safe?
In ordinary Spanish text, does "ocurría" or "ocurrir" show up more?
What to do next
Eye-level mix-up between "ocurría" and "ocurrir" 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 "ocurrir" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #270,033 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "ocurría" and "ocurrir" 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 #270,033 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.