Which to use
“podes” and “ponen” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #4,450
- “podes” frequency rank
- #1,744
- “ponen” frequency rank
- 6194
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | podes | ponen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Segunda persona del singular (tú) del presente de subjuntivo de podar. | Tercera persona del plural (ellos, ellas; ustedes, 2.ª persona) del presente de indicativo de poner. |
Where the eye mixes podes and ponen
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses podes with ponen
A purely visual mix-up. podes ([ˈpoð̞es]) and ponen ([ˈponẽn]) 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 6194, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
podes is recorded at frequency rank #4,450, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈpoð̞es]. ponen is at rank #1,744, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈponẽn].
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 6194, this pair ranks #311,494 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of podes vs ponen
Shared letters: eop. Private to "podes": ds. Private to "ponen": n.
"podes" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC · "ponen" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "podes" for "ponen" ever safe?
Frequency check: "podes" vs "ponen" - which ranks higher?
After this comparison
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "podes" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "ponen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #311,494 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "podes" and "ponen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "podes vs ponéis". 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 #311,494 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.