Which to use
“preguntar” and “pregunten” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #2,575
- “preguntar” frequency rank
- #13,121
- “pregunten” frequency rank
- 15696
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | preguntar | pregunten |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Requerir información, formular preguntas. | Tercera persona del plural (ellos, ellas; ustedes, 2.ª persona) del presente de subjuntivo de preguntar. |
Where the eye mixes preguntar and pregunten
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence. preguntar and pregunten follow the identical consonant-vowel pattern (CCVCVCCVC). Same shape at a glance is often the real trap, independent of shared letters.
Why the eye confuses preguntar with pregunten
A purely visual mix-up. preguntar ([pɾeɣ̞ũn̪ˈt̪aɾ]) and pregunten ([pɾeˈɣ̞ũn̪t̪ẽn]) 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 15696, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
preguntar is recorded at frequency rank #2,575, classified as averb, pronounced [pɾeɣ̞ũn̪ˈt̪aɾ]. pregunten is at rank #13,121, tagged as averb, pronounced [pɾeˈɣ̞ũn̪t̪ẽn].
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 15696, this pair ranks #279,118 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of preguntar vs pregunten
Shared letters: egnprtu. Private to "preguntar": a. Private to "pregunten": -.
"preguntar" · 9 letters · shape CCVCVCCVC · "pregunten" · 9 letters · shape CCVCVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "preguntar" and "pregunten" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Frequency check: "preguntar" vs "pregunten" - which ranks higher?
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 "preguntar" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "pregunten" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #279,118 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "preguntar" and "pregunten" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "preguntar vs preguntarán". 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 #279,118 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.