regresesvsrepresasWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#28,915
“regreses” frequency rank
#35,229
“represas” frequency rank
64144
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature regreses represas
Definition Segunda persona del singular (tú) del presente de subjuntivo de regresar o de regresarse. Segunda persona del singular (tú) del presente de indicativo de represar.

Where the eye mixes regreses and represas

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence. regreses and represas follow the identical consonant-vowel pattern (CVCCVCVC). Same shape at a glance is often the real trap, independent of shared letters.

8 ch
regreses
8 ch
represas

Visual trap between regreses and represas

A purely visual mix-up. regreses ([reˈɣ̞ɾeses]) and represas ([reˈpɾesas]) 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 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 64144, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

regreses is recorded at frequency rank #28,915, classified as averb, pronounced [reˈɣ̞ɾeses]. represas is at rank #35,229, tagged as averb, pronounced [reˈpɾesas].

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 64144, this pair ranks #46,472 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of regreses vs represas

Shared letters: ers. Private to "regreses": g. Private to "represas": ap.

"regreses" · 8 letters · shape CVCCVCVC  ·  "represas" · 8 letters · shape CVCCVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • regresesergreses · regerses · reggreses · regreces · regreess · regresess · regresses · regrreses
  • represaserpresas · repersas · reppresas · repreass · represass · repressas · reprresas · reprseas

Frequently Asked Questions

Is swapping "regreses" for "represas" ever safe?
No. They are said differently ([reˈɣ̞ɾeses] versus [reˈpɾesas]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
In ordinary Spanish text, does "regreses" or "represas" show up more?
"regreses" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #28,915 in our Spanish list, against #35,229 for "represas". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Useful next steps

Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.

  • Full dictionary entry for "regreses" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "represas" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #46,472 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "regreses" and "represas" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "represas vs represor". 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 #46,472 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list