Which to use
“padecen” and “padeció” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #15,190
- “padecen” frequency rank
- #35,662
- “padeció” frequency rank
- 50852
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | padecen | padeció |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Tercera persona del plural (ellos, ellas; ustedes, 2.ª persona) del presente de indicativo de padecer. | Tercera persona del singular (él, ella, ello; usted, 2.ª persona) del pretérito perfecto simple de indicativo de padecer. |
Where the eye mixes padecen and padeció
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence. padecen (CVCVCVC) and padeció (CVCVCVV) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Visual trap between padecen and padeció
A purely visual mix-up. padecen ([paˈð̞esẽn]) and padeció ([pað̞eˈsjo]) 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 50852, 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]. padeció is at rank #35,662, tagged as averb, pronounced [pað̞eˈsjo].
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 50852, this pair ranks #100,993 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of padecen vs padeció
Shared letters: acdep. Private to "padecen": n. Private to "padeció": ió.
"padecen" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCVC · "padeció" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCVV
Known mistypes of this pair
- padecen ← apdecen · padceen · paddecen · padeccen · padecenn · padecne · padeecn · padesen
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "padecen" and "padeció" be used interchangeably?
In ordinary Spanish text, does "padecen" or "padeció" show up more?
After this comparison
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "padecen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "padeció" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #100,993 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "padecen" and "padeció" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "padecido vs padeció". 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 #100,993 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.