perseguíanvsperseguidoWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#34,718
“perseguían” frequency rank
#11,647
“perseguido” frequency rank
46365
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature perseguían perseguido
Definition Tercera persona del plural (ellos, ellas; ustedes, 2.ª persona) del pretérito imperfecto de indicativo de perseguir. Participio de perseguir.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set perseguían and perseguido apart are highlighted. They share 7 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

10 ch
perseguían
10 ch
perseguido

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. perseguían ([peɾseˈɣ̞iãn]) and perseguido ([peɾseˈɣ̞ið̞o]) 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 3 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 46365, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

perseguían is recorded at frequency rank #34,718, classified as averb, pronounced [peɾseˈɣ̞iãn]. perseguido is at rank #11,647, tagged as averb, pronounced [peɾseˈɣ̞ið̞o].

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 46365, this pair ranks #126,144 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of perseguían vs perseguido

Shared letters: egprsu. Private to "perseguían": aní. Private to "perseguido": dio.

"perseguían" · 10 letters · shape CVCCVCVVVC  ·  "perseguido" · 10 letters · shape CVCCVCVVCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • perseguidoeprseguido · perceguido · peresguido · perrseguido · persegguido · persegiudo · persegudio · perseguiddo

Frequency comparison

perseguían#34,718
perseguido#11,647

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "perseguían" and "perseguido" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([peɾseˈɣ̞iãn] versus [peɾseˈɣ̞ið̞o]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "perseguían" or "perseguido"?
"perseguido" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #11,647 in our Spanish list, against #34,718 for "perseguían". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering perseguían vs perseguido

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 “perseguían” 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