señalanvsseñalandoWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#7,360
“señalan” frequency rank
#8,878
“señalando” frequency rank
16238
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature señalan señalando
Definition Tercera persona del plural (ellos, ellas; ustedes, 2.ª persona) del presente de indicativo de señalar. Gerundio de señalar.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set señalan and señalando apart are highlighted. They share 7 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

7 ch
señalan
9 ch
señalando

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. señalan ([seˈɲalãn]) and señalando ([seɲaˈlãn̪d̪o]) 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) - “señalan” sits inside “señalando”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 16238, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

señalan is recorded at frequency rank #7,360, classified as averb, pronounced [seˈɲalãn]. señalando is at rank #8,878, tagged as averb, pronounced [seɲaˈlãn̪d̪o].

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 16238, this pair ranks #276,970 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of señalan vs señalando

Shared letters: aelnsñ. Private to "señalan": -. Private to "señalando": do.

"señalan" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCVC  ·  "señalando" · 9 letters · shape CVCVCVCCV

Frequency comparison

señalan#7,360
señalando#8,878

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "señalan" and "señalando" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([seˈɲalãn] versus [seɲaˈlãn̪d̪o]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "señalan" or "señalando"?
"señalan" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #7,360 in our Spanish list, against #8,878 for "señalando". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering señalan vs señalando

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 “señalan” 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