sobrepasanvssobrepasarWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#35,261
“sobrepasan” frequency rank
#23,235
“sobrepasar” frequency rank
58496
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature sobrepasan sobrepasar
Definition Tercera persona del plural (ellos, ellas; ustedes, 2.ª persona) del presente de indicativo de sobrepasar. Pasar más allá de un límite o de cierta cantidad; exceder una expectativa.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set sobrepasan and sobrepasar apart are highlighted. They share 9 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

10 ch
sobrepasan
10 ch
sobrepasar

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. sobrepasan ([soβ̞ɾeˈpasãn]) and sobrepasar ([soβ̞ɾepaˈsaɾ]) 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 “sobrepasan” becomes r in “sobrepasar”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 58496, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

sobrepasan is recorded at frequency rank #35,261, classified as averb, pronounced [soβ̞ɾeˈpasãn]. sobrepasar is at rank #23,235, tagged as averb, pronounced [soβ̞ɾepaˈsaɾ].

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 58496, this pair ranks #66,236 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of sobrepasan vs sobrepasar

Shared letters: abeoprs. Private to "sobrepasan": n. Private to "sobrepasar": -.

"sobrepasan" · 10 letters · shape CVCCVCVCVC  ·  "sobrepasar" · 10 letters · shape CVCCVCVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • sobrepasanosbrepasan · sborepasan · sobbrepasan · soberpasan · sobreapsan · sobrepaasn · sobrepasann · sobrepasna
  • sobrepasarosbrepasar · sborepasar · sobbrepasar · soberpasar · sobreapsar · sobrepaasr · sobrepasarr · sobrepasra

Frequency comparison

sobrepasan#35,261
sobrepasar#23,235

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "sobrepasan" and "sobrepasar" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([soβ̞ɾeˈpasãn] versus [soβ̞ɾepaˈsaɾ]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "sobrepasan" or "sobrepasar"?
"sobrepasar" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #23,235 in our Spanish list, against #35,261 for "sobrepasan". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering sobrepasan vs sobrepasar

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 “sobrepasan” 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