pedíanvspesanWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#12,893
“pedían” frequency rank
#17,789
“pesan” frequency rank
30682
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature pedían pesan
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 presente de indicativo de pesar.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set pedían and pesan apart are highlighted. They share 4 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

6 ch
pedían
5 ch
pesan

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. pedían ([peˈð̞iãn]) and pesan ([ˈpesãn]) 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 30682, 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]. pesan is at rank #17,789, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈpesãn].

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 30682, this pair ranks #210,806 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of pedían vs pesan

Shared letters: aenp. Private to "pedían": . Private to "pesan": s.

"pedían" · 6 letters · shape CVCVVC  ·  "pesan" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • pesanepsan · peasn · pesann · pesna · pessan · ppesan · psean

Frequency comparison

pedían#12,893
pesan#17,789

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "pedían" and "pesan" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([peˈð̞iãn] versus [ˈpesãn]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "pedían" or "pesan"?
"pedían" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #12,893 in our Spanish list, against #17,789 for "pesan". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering pedían vs pesan

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