Which to use
“pésame” is a noun and “pésimo” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #20,484
- “pésame” frequency rank
- #11,663
- “pésimo” frequency rank
- 32147
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | pésame | pésimo |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Expresión con que se manifiesta el sentimiento de pena o aflicción por el fallecimiento de una persona. El pésame se da a los familiares más cercanos del fallecido, muy en particular al cónyuge, hermanos, padres e hijos. | Superlativo irregular de malo: sumamente malo. |
Where the eye mixes pésame and pésimo
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence. pésame and pésimo follow the identical consonant-vowel pattern (CVCVCV). Same shape at a glance is often the real trap, independent of shared letters.
Visual trap between pésame and pésimo
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: pésame is [ˈpesame] while pésimo is [ˈpesimo]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (noun vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 32147, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
pésame is recorded at frequency rank #20,484, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈpesame]. pésimo is at rank #11,663, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ˈpesimo].
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 32147, this pair ranks #203,511 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of pésame vs pésimo
Shared letters: mpsé. Private to "pésame": ae. Private to "pésimo": io.
"pésame" · 6 letters · shape CVCVCV · "pésimo" · 6 letters · shape CVCVCV
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "pésame" and "pésimo" be used interchangeably?
In ordinary Spanish text, does "pésame" or "pésimo" show up more?
What to do next
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "pésame" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "pésimo" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #203,511 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "pésame" and "pésimo" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "pesadez vs pésame". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #203,511 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.