seguíanvssequíasWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: seguían is a verb, sequías is a noun, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“seguían” is a verb and “sequías” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#8,718
“seguían” frequency rank
#29,841
“sequías” frequency rank
38559
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature seguían sequías
Definition Tercera persona del plural (ellos, ellas; ustedes, 2.ª persona) del pretérito imperfecto de indicativo de seguir. Forma del plural de sequía.

Where the spellings diverge

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

7 ch
seguían
7 ch
sequías

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: seguían is [seˈɣ̞iãn] while sequías is [seˈkias]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 38559, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

seguían is recorded at frequency rank #8,718, classified as averb, pronounced [seˈɣ̞iãn]. sequías is at rank #29,841, tagged as anoun, pronounced [seˈkias].

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 38559, this pair ranks #169,329 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of seguían vs sequías

Shared letters: aesuí. Private to "seguían": gn. Private to "sequías": q.

"seguían" · 7 letters · shape CVCVVVC  ·  "sequías" · 7 letters · shape CVCVVVC

Frequency comparison

seguían#8,718
sequías#29,841

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "seguían" and "sequías" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "seguían" is a verb and "sequías" a noun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "seguían" or "sequías"?
"seguían" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #8,718 in our Spanish list, against #29,841 for "sequías". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering seguían vs sequías

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “seguían”; for a noun, it's “sequías”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “seguían” 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