pedíanvsperdíanWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#12,893
“pedían” frequency rank
#32,795
“perdían” frequency rank
45688
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature pedían perdían
Definition Tercera persona del plural (ellos, ellas; ustedes, 2.ª persona) del pretérito imperfecto de indicativo de pedir. Tercera persona del plural (ellos, ellas; ustedes, 2.ª persona) del pretérito imperfecto de indicativo de perder o de perderse.

Where the spellings diverge

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

6 ch
pedían
7 ch
perdían

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. pedían ([peˈð̞iãn]) and perdían ([peɾˈð̞iãn]) 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 45688, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

pedían is recorded at frequency rank #12,893, classified as averb, pronounced [peˈð̞iãn]. perdían is at rank #32,795, tagged as averb, pronounced [peɾˈð̞iãn].

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 45688, this pair ranks #129,996 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of pedían vs perdían

Shared letters: adenpí. Private to "pedían": -. Private to "perdían": r.

"pedían" · 6 letters · shape CVCVVC  ·  "perdían" · 7 letters · shape CVCCVVC

Frequency comparison

pedían#12,893
perdían#32,795

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "pedían" and "perdían" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([peˈð̞iãn] versus [peɾˈð̞iãn]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "pedían" or "perdían"?
"pedían" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #12,893 in our Spanish list, against #32,795 for "perdían". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering pedían vs perdían

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 “pedían” 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