Which to use
“refrán” is a noun and “reúnan” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #19,865
- “refrán” frequency rank
- #25,797
- “reúnan” frequency rank
- 45662
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | refrán | reúnan |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Serie de versos que se repiten en un poema o canción. | Tercera persona del plural (ellos, ellas; ustedes, 2.ª persona) del presente de subjuntivo de reunir. |
Where the eye mixes refrán and reúnan
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence. refrán (CVCCVC) and reúnan (CVVCVC) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Look-alike desk: refrán vs reúnan
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: refrán is [reˈfɾãn] while reúnan is [reˈunãn]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 3 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (noun vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 45662, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
refrán is recorded at frequency rank #19,865, classified as anoun, pronounced [reˈfɾãn]. reúnan is at rank #25,797, tagged as averb, pronounced [reˈunãn].
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 45662, this pair ranks #130,146 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of refrán vs reúnan
Shared letters: enr. Private to "refrán": fá. Private to "reúnan": aú.
"refrán" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC · "reúnan" · 6 letters · shape CVVCVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "refrán" for "reúnan" ever safe?
In ordinary Spanish text, does "refrán" or "reúnan" show up more?
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 "refrán" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "reúnan" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #130,146 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "refrán" and "reúnan" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "resuenan vs reúnan". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #130,146 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.