Which to use
“pierde” and “puede” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #2,360
- “pierde” frequency rank
- #60
- “puede” frequency rank
- 2420
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | pierde | puede |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Tercera persona del singular (él, ella, ello; usted, 2.ª persona) del presente de indicativo de perder o de perderse. | Tercera persona del singular (él, ella, ello; usted, 2.ª persona) del presente de indicativo de poder. |
Where the eye mixes pierde and puede
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence.
Visual trap between pierde and puede
A purely visual mix-up. pierde ([ˈpjeɾð̞e]) and puede ([ˈpweð̞e]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they differ by 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 2420, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
pierde is recorded at frequency rank #2,360, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈpjeɾð̞e]. puede is at rank #60, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈpweð̞e].
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 2420, this pair ranks #320,368 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of pierde vs puede
Shared letters: dep. Private to "pierde": ir. Private to "puede": u.
"pierde" · 6 letters · shape CVVCCV · "puede" · 5 letters · shape CVVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "pierde" and "puede" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "pierde" or "puede"?
What to do next
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "pierde" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "puede" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #320,368 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "pierde" and "puede" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "pele vs puede". 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 #320,368 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.