poníanvsponíasWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#13,544
“ponían” frequency rank
#48,607
“ponías” frequency rank
62151
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature ponían ponías
Definition Tercera persona del plural (ellos, ellas; ustedes, 2.ª persona) del pretérito imperfecto de indicativo de poner. Segunda persona del singular (tú, vos) del pretérito imperfecto de indicativo de poner.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set ponían and ponías apart are highlighted. They share 5 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

6 ch
ponían
6 ch
ponías

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. ponían ([poˈniãn]) and ponías ([poˈnias]) 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 a single letter - n in “ponían” becomes s in “ponías”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 62151, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

ponían is recorded at frequency rank #13,544, classified as averb, pronounced [poˈniãn]. ponías is at rank #48,607, tagged as averb, pronounced [poˈnias].

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 62151, this pair ranks #52,973 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of ponían vs ponías

Shared letters: anopí. Private to "ponían": -. Private to "ponías": s.

"ponían" · 6 letters · shape CVCVVC  ·  "ponías" · 6 letters · shape CVCVVC

Frequency comparison

ponían#13,544
ponías#48,607

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "ponían" and "ponías" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([poˈniãn] versus [poˈnias]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "ponían" or "ponías"?
"ponían" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #13,544 in our Spanish list, against #48,607 for "ponías". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering ponían vs ponías

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “ponían” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list