pasenvspasosWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: pasen is a verb, pasos is a noun, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“pasen” is a verb and “pasos” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#4,817
“pasen” frequency rank
#1,952
“pasos” frequency rank
6769
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature pasen pasos
Definition Tercera persona del plural (ellos, ellas; ustedes, 2.ª persona) del presente de subjuntivo de pasar. En algunos deportes, en especial el baloncesto y el balonmano, falta que consiste en dar más de tres pasos con la pelota en la mano sin botarla.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set pasen and pasos apart are highlighted. They share 3 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

5 ch
pasen
5 ch
pasos

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

pasen and pasos form a confusable pair in the Spanish index, two distinct headwords that are easily confused because they look alike, sound alike, or both. They share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions - close enough that the eye skips over the difference, far enough that meaning fully diverges. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 6769, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

pasen is recorded at frequency rank #4,817, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈpasẽn]. pasos is at rank #1,952, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈpasos].

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 6769, this pair ranks #309,845 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Frequency comparison

pasen#4,817
pasos#1,952

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "pasen" and "pasos" be used interchangeably?
No, "pasen" and "pasos" 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 pasen vs pasos

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “pasen”; for a noun, it's “pasos”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “pasen” 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