reíanvsreuníanWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#29,823
“reían” frequency rank
#24,631
“reunían” frequency rank
54454
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature reían reunían
Definition Tercera persona del plural (ellos, ellas; ustedes, 2.ª persona) del pretérito imperfecto de indicativo de reír o de reírse. Tercera persona del plural (ellos, ellas; ustedes, 2.ª persona) del pretérito imperfecto de indicativo de reunir.

Where the spellings diverge

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

5 ch
reían
7 ch
reunían

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. reían ([reˈiãn]) and reunían ([rewˈniãn]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they differ by 2 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 54454, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

reían is recorded at frequency rank #29,823, classified as averb, pronounced [reˈiãn]. reunían is at rank #24,631, tagged as averb, pronounced [rewˈniãn].

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 54454, this pair ranks #83,243 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of reían vs reunían

Shared letters: aenrí. Private to "reían": -. Private to "reunían": u.

"reían" · 5 letters · shape CVVVC  ·  "reunían" · 7 letters · shape CVVCVVC

Frequency comparison

reían#29,823
reunían#24,631

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "reían" and "reunían" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([reˈiãn] versus [rewˈniãn]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "reían" or "reunían"?
"reunían" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #24,631 in our Spanish list, against #29,823 for "reían". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering reían vs reunían

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 “reían” 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