quevsquemeWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: que is a pronoun, queme is a verb, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“que” is a pronoun and “queme” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#3
“que” frequency rank
#22,163
“queme” frequency rank
22166
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature que queme
Definition Palabra utilizada para hacer referencia a una palabra o frase expresada anteriormente conocida como antecedente, conectándola con una idea que será expresada posteriormente. Primera persona del singular (yo) del presente de subjuntivo de quemar o de quemarse.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set que and queme apart are highlighted. They share 3 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

3 ch
que
5 ch
queme

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

que and queme form a confusable pair in the Spanish index, two distinct headwords that are easily confused because they look alike, sound alike, or both. They differ by 2 extra letter(s) - “que” sits inside “queme” - close enough that the eye skips over the difference, far enough that meaning fully diverges. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 22166, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

que is recorded at frequency rank #3, classified as apron, pronounced [ke]. queme is at rank #22,163, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈkeme].

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 22166, this pair ranks #251,608 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Frequency comparison

que#3
queme#22,163

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "que" and "queme" be used interchangeably?
No, "que" and "queme" have distinct meanings and cannot be swapped without changing the meaning of a sentence. Understanding the specific definition and context for each word is essential for correct usage.

Remembering que vs queme

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a pronoun, it's “que”; for a verb, it's “queme”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “que” 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 FrequencyWords open word-frequency list