Which to use
“parar” and “pasan” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #2,259
- “parar” frequency rank
- #1,692
- “pasan” frequency rank
- 3951
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | parar | pasan |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Detener; evitar el avance, el movimiento o la acción de algo o de alguien. | Tercera persona del plural (ellos, ellas; ustedes, 2.ª persona) del presente de indicativo de pasar. |
Where the eye mixes parar and pasan
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence.
Look-alike desk: parar vs pasan
A purely visual mix-up. parar ([paˈɾaɾ]) and pasan ([ˈpasãn]) 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 3951, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
parar is recorded at frequency rank #2,259, classified as averb, pronounced [paˈɾaɾ]. pasan is at rank #1,692, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈpasãn].
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 3951, this pair ranks #317,219 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of parar vs pasan
Shared letters: ap. Private to "parar": r. Private to "pasan": ns.
"parar" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC · "pasan" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "parar" for "pasan" ever safe?
Which is more common, "parar" or "pasan"?
Useful next steps
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "parar" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "pasan" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #317,219 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "parar" and "pasan" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "parar vs petar". 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 #317,219 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.