rompívsrompíanWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#23,936
“rompí” frequency rank
#47,392
“rompían” frequency rank
71328
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature rompí rompían
Definition Primera persona del singular (yo) del pretérito perfecto simple de indicativo de romper o de romperse. Tercera persona del plural (ellos, ellas; ustedes, 2.ª persona) del pretérito imperfecto de indicativo de romper o de romperse.

Where the spellings diverge

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

5 ch
rompí
7 ch
rompían

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. rompí ([rõmˈpi]) and rompían ([rõmˈpiãn]) 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 extra letter(s) - “rompí” sits inside “rompían”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 71328, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

rompí is recorded at frequency rank #23,936, classified as averb, pronounced [rõmˈpi]. rompían is at rank #47,392, tagged as averb, pronounced [rõmˈpiãn].

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 71328, this pair ranks #27,757 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of rompí vs rompían

Shared letters: moprí. Private to "rompí": -. Private to "rompían": an.

"rompí" · 5 letters · shape CVCCV  ·  "rompían" · 7 letters · shape CVCCVVC

Frequency comparison

rompí#23,936
rompían#47,392

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "rompí" and "rompían" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([rõmˈpi] versus [rõmˈpiãn]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "rompí" or "rompían"?
"rompí" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #23,936 in our Spanish list, against #47,392 for "rompían". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering rompí vs rompían

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 “rompí” 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 FrequencyWords open word-frequency list