persigavspésimaWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: persiga is a verb, pésima is an adjective, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“persiga” is a verb and “pésima” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#38,872
“persiga” frequency rank
#14,686
“pésima” frequency rank
53558
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature persiga pésima
Definition Primera persona del singular (yo) del presente de subjuntivo de perseguir. Forma del femenino singular de pésimo.

Where the spellings diverge

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

7 ch
persiga
6 ch
pésima

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: persiga is [peɾˈsiɣ̞a] while pésima is [ˈpesima]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 53558, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

persiga is recorded at frequency rank #38,872, classified as averb, pronounced [peɾˈsiɣ̞a]. pésima is at rank #14,686, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ˈpesima].

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 53558, this pair ranks #87,303 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of persiga vs pésima

Shared letters: aips. Private to "persiga": egr. Private to "pésima": .

"persiga" · 7 letters · shape CVCCVCV  ·  "pésima" · 6 letters · shape CVCVCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • persigaeprsiga · perciga · perisga · perrsiga · persgia · persiag · persigga · perssiga

Frequency comparison

persiga#38,872
pésima#14,686

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "persiga" and "pésima" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "persiga" is a verb and "pésima" an adjective, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "persiga" or "pésima"?
"pésima" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #14,686 in our Spanish list, against #38,872 for "persiga". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering persiga vs pésima

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “persiga”; for an adjective, it's “pésima”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “persiga” 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 FrequencyWords open word-frequency list