recogíanvsrefugianWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#48,649
“recogían” frequency rank
#49,892
“refugian” frequency rank
98541
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature recogían refugian
Definition Tercera persona del plural (ellos, ellas; ustedes, 2.ª persona) del pretérito imperfecto de indicativo de recoger. Tercera persona del plural (ellos, ellas; ustedes, 2.ª persona) del presente de indicativo de refugiar o de refugiarse.

Where the spellings diverge

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

8 ch
recogían
8 ch
refugian

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. recogían ([rekoˈxiãn]) and refugian ([reˈfuxjãn]) 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 3 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 98541, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

recogían is recorded at frequency rank #48,649, classified as averb, pronounced [rekoˈxiãn]. refugian is at rank #49,892, tagged as averb, pronounced [reˈfuxjãn].

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 98541, this pair ranks #58 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of recogían vs refugian

Shared letters: aegnr. Private to "recogían": coí. Private to "refugian": fiu.

"recogían" · 8 letters · shape CVCVCVVC  ·  "refugian" · 8 letters · shape CVCVCVVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • refugianerfugian · reffugian · refguian · refugain · refuggian · refugiann · refugina · refuigan

Frequency comparison

recogían#48,649
refugian#49,892

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "recogían" and "refugian" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([rekoˈxiãn] versus [reˈfuxjãn]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "recogían" or "refugian"?
"recogían" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #48,649 in our Spanish list, against #49,892 for "refugian". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering recogían vs refugian

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 “recogían” 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