Which to use
“señalan” and “separan” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #7,360
- “señalan” frequency rank
- #12,715
- “separan” frequency rank
- 20075
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | señalan | separan |
|---|---|---|
| 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 presente de indicativo de separar o de separarse. |
Where the eye mixes señalan and separan
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses señalan with separan
A purely visual mix-up. señalan ([seˈɲalãn]) and separan ([seˈpaɾãn]) 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 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 20075, 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]. separan is at rank #12,715, tagged as averb, pronounced [seˈpaɾãn].
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 20075, this pair ranks #260,912 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of señalan vs separan
Shared letters: aens. Private to "señalan": lñ. Private to "separan": pr.
"señalan" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCVC · "separan" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- separan ← ceparan · esparan · seapran · sepaarn · separann · separna · separran · sepparan
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "señalan" and "separan" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "señalan" or "separan"?
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 "señalan" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "separan" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #260,912 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "señalan" and "separan" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "separan vs separo". 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 #260,912 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.