reúnenvsreuníanWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#9,534
“reúnen” frequency rank
#24,631
“reunían” frequency rank
34165
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature reúnen reunían
Definition Tercera persona del plural (ellos, ellas; ustedes, 2.ª persona) del presente de indicativo de reunir. 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 reúnen and reunían apart are highlighted. They share 4 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

6 ch
reúnen
7 ch
reunían

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. reúnen ([reˈunẽn]) 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 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 34165, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

reúnen is recorded at frequency rank #9,534, classified as averb, pronounced [reˈunẽn]. 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 34165, this pair ranks #192,896 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of reúnen vs reunían

Shared letters: enr. Private to "reúnen": ú. Private to "reunían": auí.

"reúnen" · 6 letters · shape CVVCVC  ·  "reunían" · 7 letters · shape CVVCVVC

Frequency comparison

reúnen#9,534
reunían#24,631

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "reúnen" and "reunían" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([reˈunẽn] versus [rewˈniãn]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "reúnen" or "reunían"?
"reúnen" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #9,534 in our Spanish list, against #24,631 for "reunían". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering reúnen 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 “reúnen” 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