perdívsPérezConfusable pair

Quick tell: perdí is a verb, Pérez is a name, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“perdí” is a verb and “Pérez” is a name - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#4,536
“perdí” frequency rank
#2,092
“Pérez” frequency rank
6628
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature perdí Pérez
Definition Primera persona del singular (yo) del pretérito perfecto simple de indicativo de perder o de perderse. Apellido español, patronímico derivado del nombre propio de Pedro.

Where the eye mixes perdí and Pérez

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence.

5 ch
perdí
5 ch
Pérez

Why the eye confuses perdí with Pérez

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: perdí is [peɾˈð̞i] while Pérez is [ˈpeɾes]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 3 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs name), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 6628, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

perdí is recorded at frequency rank #4,536, classified as averb, pronounced [peɾˈð̞i]. Pérez is at rank #2,092, tagged as aname, pronounced [ˈpeɾes].

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 6628, this pair ranks #310,220 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of perdí vs Pérez

Shared letters: epr. Private to "perdí": . Private to "Pérez": .

"perdí" · 5 letters · shape CVCCV  ·  "Pérez" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC

Frequently Asked Questions

Is swapping "perdí" for "Pérez" ever safe?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "perdí" is a verb and "Pérez" a name, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "perdí" or "Pérez"?
"Pérez" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #2,092 in our Spanish list, against #4,536 for "perdí". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

What to do next

Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.

  • Full dictionary entry for "perdí" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "Pérez" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #310,220 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "perdí" and "Pérez" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "perdí vs Perm". Nearby pair

Confusion rank #310,220 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list