Which to use
“sabían” and “sacan” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #4,834
- “sabían” frequency rank
- #5,348
- “sacan” frequency rank
- 10182
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | sabían | sacan |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Tercera persona del plural (ellos, ellas; ustedes, 2.ª persona) del pretérito imperfecto de indicativo de saber. | Tercera persona del plural (ellos, ellas; ustedes, 2.ª persona) del presente de indicativo de sacar. |
Where the eye mixes sabían and sacan
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence. sabían runs 6 letters (CVCVVC) against sacan's 5 (CVCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses sabían with sacan
A purely visual mix-up. sabían ([saˈβ̞iãn]) and sacan ([ˈsakãn]) 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 10182, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
sabían is recorded at frequency rank #4,834, classified as averb, pronounced [saˈβ̞iãn]. sacan is at rank #5,348, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈsakãn].
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 10182, this pair ranks #299,546 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of sabían vs sacan
Shared letters: ans. Private to "sabían": bí. Private to "sacan": c.
"sabían" · 6 letters · shape CVCVVC · "sacan" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- sacan ← ascan · saacn · sacann · saccan · sacna · scaan · ssacan
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "sabían" for "sacan" ever safe?
In ordinary Spanish text, does "sabían" or "sacan" show up more?
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 "sabían" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "sacan" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #299,546 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "sabían" and "sacan" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "sacan vs sácate". 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 #299,546 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.