Which to use
“señalan” and “sentían” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #7,360
- “señalan” frequency rank
- #16,216
- “sentían” frequency rank
- 23576
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | señalan | sentían |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Tercera persona del plural (ellos, ellas; ustedes, 2.ª persona) del presente de indicativo de señalar. | Tercera persona del plural (ellos, ellas; ustedes, 2.ª persona) del pretérito imperfecto de indicativo de sentir. |
Where the eye mixes señalan and sentían
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence. señalan (CVCVCVC) and sentían (CVCCVVC) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Look-alike desk: señalan vs sentían
A purely visual mix-up. señalan ([seˈɲalãn]) and sentían ([sẽn̪ˈt̪iãn]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 3 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 23576, 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]. sentían is at rank #16,216, tagged as averb, pronounced [sẽn̪ˈt̪iãn].
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 23576, this pair ranks #245,139 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of señalan vs sentían
Shared letters: aens. Private to "señalan": lñ. Private to "sentían": tí.
"señalan" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCVC · "sentían" · 7 letters · shape CVCCVVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "señalan" and "sentían" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Frequency check: "señalan" vs "sentían" - which ranks higher?
Useful next steps
Eye-level mix-up between "señalan" and "sentían" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "señalan" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "sentían" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #245,139 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "señalan" and "sentían" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "sentían vs sentidas". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #245,139 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.