olvidadovsolvidanWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: olvidado is a adjective, olvidan is a verb, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“olvidado” is an adjective and “olvidan” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#3,501
“olvidado” frequency rank
#10,720
“olvidan” frequency rank
14221
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature olvidado olvidan
Definition Se dice del que olvida. Tercera persona del plural (ellos, ellas; ustedes, 2.ª persona) del presente de indicativo de olvidar o de olvidarse.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set olvidado and olvidan apart are highlighted. They share 6 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

8 ch
olvidado
7 ch
olvidan

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

olvidado and olvidan form a confusable pair in the Spanish index, two distinct headwords that are easily confused because they look alike, sound alike, or both. They differ by 1 letter(s) in length - close enough that the eye skips over the difference, far enough that meaning fully diverges. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 14221, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

olvidado is recorded at frequency rank #3,501, classified as anadj, pronounced [olβ̞iˈð̞að̞o]. olvidan is at rank #10,720, tagged as averb, pronounced [olˈβ̞ið̞ãn].

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 14221, this pair ranks #284,971 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Frequency comparison

olvidado#3,501
olvidan#10,720

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "olvidado" and "olvidan" be used interchangeably?
No, "olvidado" and "olvidan" have distinct meanings and cannot be swapped without changing the meaning of a sentence. Understanding the specific definition and context for each word is essential for correct usage.

Remembering olvidado vs olvidan

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need an adjective, it's “olvidado”; for a verb, it's “olvidan”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “olvidado” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list