reflexiónvsreflexionarWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: reflexión is a noun, reflexionar is a verb, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“reflexión” is a noun and “reflexionar” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#3,656
“reflexión” frequency rank
#6,724
“reflexionar” frequency rank
10380
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature reflexión reflexionar
Definition Acción o resultado de reflexionar. Pensar, considerar, meditar nuevamente sobre un tema.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set reflexión and reflexionar apart are highlighted. They share 8 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

9 ch
reflexión
11 ch
reflexionar

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: reflexión is [reflekˈsjõn] while reflexionar is [refleksjoˈnaɾ]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 2 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (noun vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 10380, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

reflexión is recorded at frequency rank #3,656, classified as anoun, pronounced [reflekˈsjõn]. reflexionar is at rank #6,724, tagged as averb, pronounced [refleksjoˈnaɾ].

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 10380, this pair ranks #298,835 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of reflexión vs reflexionar

Shared letters: efilnrx. Private to "reflexión": ó. Private to "reflexionar": ao.

"reflexión" · 9 letters · shape CVCCVCVVC  ·  "reflexionar" · 11 letters · shape CVCCVCVVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • reflexionarerflexionar · refelxionar · refflexionar · refleixonar · reflexinoar · reflexioanr · reflexionarr · reflexionnar

Frequency comparison

reflexión#3,656
reflexionar#6,724

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "reflexión" and "reflexionar" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "reflexión" is a noun and "reflexionar" a verb, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "reflexión" or "reflexionar"?
"reflexión" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #3,656 in our Spanish list, against #6,724 for "reflexionar". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering reflexión vs reflexionar

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a noun, it's “reflexión”; for a verb, it's “reflexionar”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “reflexión” 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