respondervsrespondíWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#1,915
“responder” frequency rank
#14,224
“respondí” frequency rank
16139
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature responder respondí
Definition Contestar, satisfacer a lo que se pregunta o propone. Primera persona del singular (yo) del pretérito perfecto simple de indicativo de responder.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set responder and respondí apart are highlighted. They share 7 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

9 ch
responder
8 ch
respondí

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. responder ([respõn̪ˈd̪eɾ]) and respondí ([respõn̪ˈd̪i]) 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 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 16139, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

responder is recorded at frequency rank #1,915, classified as averb, pronounced [respõn̪ˈd̪eɾ]. respondí is at rank #14,224, tagged as averb, pronounced [respõn̪ˈd̪i].

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 16139, this pair ranks #277,360 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of responder vs respondí

Shared letters: denoprs. Private to "responder": -. Private to "respondí": í.

"responder" · 9 letters · shape CVCCVCCVC  ·  "respondí" · 8 letters · shape CVCCVCCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • responderersponder · repsonder · resopnder · respnoder · respodner · respondder · responderr · respondre

Frequency comparison

responder#1,915
respondí#14,224

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "responder" and "respondí" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([respõn̪ˈd̪eɾ] versus [respõn̪ˈd̪i]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "responder" or "respondí"?
"responder" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #1,915 in our Spanish list, against #14,224 for "respondí". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering responder vs respondí

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 “responder” 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