Which to use
“sabes” and “says” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #474
- “sabes” frequency rank
- #46,209
- “says” frequency rank
- 46683
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | sabes | says |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Segunda persona del singular (tú) del presente de indicativo de saber. | Presente para la tercera personal del singular del verbo say (decir). |
Where the eye mixes sabes and says
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence. sabes runs 5 letters (CVCVC) against says's 4 (CVVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses sabes with says
A purely visual mix-up. sabes ([ˈsaβ̞es]) and says (/sɛz/) 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 46683, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
sabes is recorded at frequency rank #474, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈsaβ̞es]. says is at rank #46,209, tagged as averb, pronounced /sɛz/.
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 46683, this pair ranks #124,378 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of sabes vs says
Shared letters: as. Private to "sabes": be. Private to "says": y.
"sabes" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC · "says" · 4 letters · shape CVVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "sabes" for "says" ever safe?
Frequency check: "sabes" vs "says" - which ranks higher?
What to do next
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "sabes" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "says" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #124,378 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "sabes" and "says" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "says vs sous". Nearby pair
- Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes
Confusion rank #124,378 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.