Which to use
“respondía” and “respondían” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #16,969
- “respondía” frequency rank
- #36,799
- “respondían” frequency rank
- 53768
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | respondía | respondían |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Primera persona del singular (yo) del pretérito imperfecto de indicativo de responder. | Tercera persona del plural (ellos, ellas; ustedes, 2.ª persona) del pretérito imperfecto de indicativo de responder. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set respondía and respondían apart are highlighted. They share 9 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
A purely visual mix-up. respondía ([respõn̪ˈd̪ia]) and respondían ([respõn̪ˈd̪iãn]) 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 extra letter(s) - “respondía” sits inside “respondían”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 53768, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
respondía is recorded at frequency rank #16,969, classified as averb, pronounced [respõn̪ˈd̪ia]. respondían is at rank #36,799, tagged as averb, pronounced [respõn̪ˈd̪iãn].
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 53768, this pair ranks #86,289 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of respondía vs respondían
Shared letters: adenoprsí. Private to "respondía": -. Private to "respondían": -.
"respondía" · 9 letters · shape CVCCVCCVV · "respondían" · 10 letters · shape CVCCVCCVVC
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "respondía" and "respondían" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "respondía" or "respondían"?
Remembering respondía vs respondían
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 “respondía” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable