padecenvspadecerWhat's the difference?

Which to use

“padecen” and “padecer” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#15,190
“padecen” frequency rank
#15,678
“padecer” frequency rank
30868
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature padecen padecer
Definition Tercera persona del plural (ellos, ellas; ustedes, 2.ª persona) del presente de indicativo de padecer. Sufrir un daño de cualquier clase, como una carga, un mal o una enfermedad

Where the spellings diverge

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

7 ch
padecen
7 ch
padecer

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. padecen ([paˈð̞esẽn]) and padecer ([pað̞eˈseɾ]) 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 a single letter - n in “padecen” becomes r in “padecer”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 30868, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

padecen is recorded at frequency rank #15,190, classified as averb, pronounced [paˈð̞esẽn]. padecer is at rank #15,678, tagged as averb, pronounced [pað̞eˈseɾ].

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 30868, this pair ranks #209,916 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of padecen vs padecer

Shared letters: acdep. Private to "padecen": n. Private to "padecer": r.

"padecen" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCVC  ·  "padecer" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • padecenapdecen · padceen · paddecen · padeccen · padecenn · padecne · padeecn · padesen
  • padecerapdecer · padceer · paddecer · padeccer · padecerr · padecre · padeecr · padeser

Frequency comparison

padecen#15,190
padecer#15,678

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "padecen" and "padecer" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([paˈð̞esẽn] versus [pað̞eˈseɾ]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "padecen" or "padecer"?
"padecen" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #15,190 in our Spanish list, against #15,678 for "padecer". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering padecen vs padecer

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “padecen” 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