Which to use
“perteneció” and “pertenezco” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #19,525
- “perteneció” frequency rank
- #18,346
- “pertenezco” frequency rank
- 37871
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | perteneció | pertenezco |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Tercera persona del singular (él, ella, ello; usted, 2.ª persona) del pretérito perfecto simple de indicativo de pertenecer. | Primera persona del singular (yo) del presente de indicativo de pertenecer. |
Where the eye mixes perteneció and pertenezco
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 8 letters in sequence. perteneció (CVCCVCVCVV) and pertenezco (CVCCVCVCCV) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Why the eye confuses perteneció with pertenezco
A purely visual mix-up. perteneció ([peɾt̪eneˈsjo]) and pertenezco ([peɾt̪eˈnesko]) 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 37871, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
perteneció is recorded at frequency rank #19,525, classified as averb, pronounced [peɾt̪eneˈsjo]. pertenezco is at rank #18,346, tagged as averb, pronounced [peɾt̪eˈnesko].
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 37871, this pair ranks #173,033 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of perteneció vs pertenezco
Shared letters: cenprt. Private to "perteneció": ió. Private to "pertenezco": oz.
"perteneció" · 10 letters · shape CVCCVCVCVV · "pertenezco" · 10 letters · shape CVCCVCVCCV
Known mistypes of this pair
- pertenezco ← eprtenezco · peretnezco · perrtenezco · perteenzco · perteneczo · pertenezcco · pertenezoc · pertenezzco
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "perteneció" for "pertenezco" ever safe?
In ordinary Spanish text, does "perteneció" or "pertenezco" show up more?
After this comparison
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "perteneció" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "pertenezco" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #173,033 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "perteneció" and "pertenezco" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "pertenezcan vs pertenezco". 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 #173,033 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.