pelanvspisanWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#48,578
“pelan” frequency rank
#35,687
“pisan” frequency rank
84265
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature pelan pisan
Definition Tercera persona del plural (ellos, ellas; ustedes, 2.ª persona) del presente de indicativo de pelar o de pelarse. Tercera persona del plural (ellos, ellas; ustedes, 2.ª persona) del presente de indicativo de pisar.

Where the spellings diverge

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

5 ch
pelan
5 ch
pisan

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. pelan ([ˈpelãn]) and pisan ([ˈpisãn]) 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 84265, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

pelan is recorded at frequency rank #48,578, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈpelãn]. pisan is at rank #35,687, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈpisãn].

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 84265, this pair ranks #7,227 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of pelan vs pisan

Shared letters: anp. Private to "pelan": el. Private to "pisan": is.

"pelan" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC  ·  "pisan" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • pelaneplan · pealn · pelann · pellan · ppelan
  • pisanipsan · piasn · pisann · pisna · pissan · ppisan · psian

Frequency comparison

pelan#48,578
pisan#35,687

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "pelan" and "pisan" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈpelãn] versus [ˈpisãn]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "pelan" or "pisan"?
"pisan" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #35,687 in our Spanish list, against #48,578 for "pelan". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering pelan vs pisan

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 “pelan” 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