persiguenvspersistenConfusable pair

Which to use

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

#13,113
“persiguen” frequency rank
#25,399
“persisten” frequency rank
38512
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature persiguen persisten
Definition Tercera persona del plural (ellos, ellas; ustedes, 2.ª persona) del presente de indicativo de perseguir. Tercera persona del plural (ellos, ellas; ustedes, 2.ª persona) del presente de indicativo de persistir.

Where the eye mixes persiguen and persisten

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence. persiguen (CVCCVCVVC) and persisten (CVCCVCCVC) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.

9 ch
persiguen
9 ch
persisten

Look-alike desk: persiguen vs persisten

A purely visual mix-up. persiguen ([peɾˈsiɣ̞ẽn]) and persisten ([peɾˈsist̪ẽn]) 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 38512, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

persiguen is recorded at frequency rank #13,113, classified as averb, pronounced [peɾˈsiɣ̞ẽn]. persisten is at rank #25,399, tagged as averb, pronounced [peɾˈsist̪ẽn].

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 38512, this pair ranks #169,621 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of persiguen vs persisten

Shared letters: einprs. Private to "persiguen": gu. Private to "persisten": t.

"persiguen" · 9 letters · shape CVCCVCVVC  ·  "persisten" · 9 letters · shape CVCCVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • persiguen ← eprsiguen · perciguen · perisguen · perrsiguen · persgiuen · persigeun · persigguen · persiguenn
  • persisten ← eprsisten · percisten · perissten · perrsisten · persisetn · persissten · persistenn · persistne

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "persiguen" and "persisten" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([peɾˈsiɣ̞ẽn] versus [peɾˈsist̪ẽn]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Frequency check: "persiguen" vs "persisten" - which ranks higher?
"persiguen" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #13,113 in our Spanish list, against #25,399 for "persisten". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Useful next steps

Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.

  • Full dictionary entry for "persiguen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "persisten" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #169,621 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "persiguen" and "persisten" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "persisten vs persistir". Nearby pair
  • Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes

Confusion rank #169,621 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