regarvsriegaWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#25,429
“regar” frequency rank
#42,134
“riega” frequency rank
67563
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature regar riega
Definition Llevar el agua a la tierra que cubre las plantas, a los sembradíos y a las plantas mismas. Tercera persona del singular (él, ella, ello; usted, 2.ª persona) del presente de indicativo de regar o de regarse.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set regar and riega apart are highlighted. They share 4 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

5 ch
regar
5 ch
riega

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. regar ([reˈɣ̞aɾ]) and riega ([ˈrjeɣ̞a]) 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 4 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 67563, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

regar is recorded at frequency rank #25,429, classified as averb, pronounced [reˈɣ̞aɾ]. riega is at rank #42,134, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈrjeɣ̞a].

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 67563, this pair ranks #36,785 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of regar vs riega

Shared letters: aegr. Private to "regar": -. Private to "riega": i.

"regar" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC  ·  "riega" · 5 letters · shape CVVCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • regarergar · reagr · regarr · reggar · regra · rgear · rregar
  • riegairega · reiga · rieag · riegga · rigea · rriega

Frequency comparison

regar#25,429
riega#42,134

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "regar" and "riega" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([reˈɣ̞aɾ] versus [ˈrjeɣ̞a]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "regar" or "riega"?
"regar" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #25,429 in our Spanish list, against #42,134 for "riega". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering regar vs riega

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 “regar” 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