Which to use
“queden” and “quieren” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #6,582
- “queden” frequency rank
- #459
- “quieren” frequency rank
- 7041
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | queden | quieren |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Tercera persona del plural (ellos, ellas; ustedes, 2.ª persona) del presente de subjuntivo de quedar o de quedarse. | Tercera persona del plural (ellos, ellas; ustedes, 2.ª persona) del presente de indicativo de querer. |
Where the eye mixes queden and quieren
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence. queden runs 6 letters (CVVCVC) against quieren's 7 (CVVVCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses queden with quieren
A purely visual mix-up. queden ([ˈkeð̞ẽn]) and quieren ([ˈkjeɾẽn]) 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 7041, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
queden is recorded at frequency rank #6,582, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈkeð̞ẽn]. quieren is at rank #459, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈkjeɾẽn].
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 7041, this pair ranks #309,100 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of queden vs quieren
Shared letters: enqu. Private to "queden": d. Private to "quieren": ir.
"queden" · 6 letters · shape CVVCVC · "quieren" · 7 letters · shape CVVVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "queden" for "quieren" ever safe?
Frequency check: "queden" vs "quieren" - which ranks higher?
Useful next steps
Eye-level mix-up between "queden" and "quieren" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "queden" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "quieren" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #309,100 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "queden" and "quieren" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "queden vs quédese". 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 #309,100 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.