parirvspartirWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#23,891
“parir” frequency rank
#579
“partir” frequency rank
24470
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature parir partir
Definition Expulsar la hembra de los mamíferos la cría ya desarrollada que alojaba en su interior durante la preñez. Hacer divisiones en un todo, de tal modo de separarlo en partes.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set parir and partir apart are highlighted. They share 5 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

5 ch
parir
6 ch
partir

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. parir ([paˈɾiɾ]) and partir ([paɾˈt̪iɾ]) 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 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 24470, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

parir is recorded at frequency rank #23,891, classified as averb, pronounced [paˈɾiɾ]. partir is at rank #579, tagged as averb, pronounced [paɾˈt̪iɾ].

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 24470, this pair ranks #241,038 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of parir vs partir

Shared letters: aipr. Private to "parir": -. Private to "partir": t.

"parir" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC  ·  "partir" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • pariraprir · pairr · parirr · parri · parrir · pparir · prair
  • partiraprtir · paritr · parrtir · partirr · partri · parttir · patrir · ppartir

Frequency comparison

parir#23,891
partir#579

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "parir" and "partir" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([paˈɾiɾ] versus [paɾˈt̪iɾ]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "parir" or "partir"?
"partir" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #579 in our Spanish list, against #23,891 for "parir". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

Remembering parir vs partir

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 “parir” 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