sentíanvssentíasWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#16,216
“sentían” frequency rank
#42,691
“sentías” frequency rank
58907
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature sentían sentías
Definition Tercera persona del plural (ellos, ellas; ustedes, 2.ª persona) del pretérito imperfecto de indicativo de sentir. Segunda persona del singular (tú, vos) del pretérito imperfecto de indicativo de sentir.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set sentían and sentías apart are highlighted. They share 6 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

7 ch
sentían
7 ch
sentías

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. sentían ([sẽn̪ˈt̪iãn]) and sentías ([sẽn̪ˈt̪ias]) 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 a single letter - n in “sentían” becomes s in “sentías”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 58907, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

sentían is recorded at frequency rank #16,216, classified as averb, pronounced [sẽn̪ˈt̪iãn]. sentías is at rank #42,691, tagged as averb, pronounced [sẽn̪ˈt̪ias].

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 58907, this pair ranks #64,655 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of sentían vs sentías

Shared letters: aenstí. Private to "sentían": -. Private to "sentías": -.

"sentían" · 7 letters · shape CVCCVVC  ·  "sentías" · 7 letters · shape CVCCVVC

Frequency comparison

sentían#16,216
sentías#42,691

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "sentían" and "sentías" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([sẽn̪ˈt̪iãn] versus [sẽn̪ˈt̪ias]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "sentían" or "sentías"?
"sentían" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #16,216 in our Spanish list, against #42,691 for "sentías". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering sentían vs sentías

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 “sentían” 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