sabíamosvssalimosWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#9,535
“sabíamos” frequency rank
#4,940
“salimos” frequency rank
14475
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature sabíamos salimos
Definition Primera persona del plural (nosotros, nosotras) del pretérito imperfecto de indicativo de saber. Primera persona del plural (nosotros, nosotras) del presente de indicativo de salir o de salirse.

Where the spellings diverge

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

8 ch
sabíamos
7 ch
salimos

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. sabíamos ([saˈβ̞iamos]) and salimos ([saˈlimos]) 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 14475, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

sabíamos is recorded at frequency rank #9,535, classified as averb, pronounced [saˈβ̞iamos]. salimos is at rank #4,940, tagged as averb, pronounced [saˈlimos].

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 14475, this pair ranks #283,976 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of sabíamos vs salimos

Shared letters: amos. Private to "sabíamos": . Private to "salimos": il.

"sabíamos" · 8 letters · shape CVCVVCVC  ·  "salimos" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • salimosaslimos · sailmos · salimmos · salimoss · salimso · salioms · sallimos · salmios

Frequency comparison

sabíamos#9,535
salimos#4,940

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "sabíamos" and "salimos" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([saˈβ̞iamos] versus [saˈlimos]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "sabíamos" or "salimos"?
"salimos" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #4,940 in our Spanish list, against #9,535 for "sabíamos". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering sabíamos vs salimos

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 “sabíamos” 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