Which to use
“sorprender” and “sorprendí” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #10,228
- “sorprender” frequency rank
- #36,833
- “sorprendí” frequency rank
- 47061
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | sorprender | sorprendí |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Causar sorpresa, asombro. | Primera persona del singular (yo) del pretérito perfecto simple de indicativo de sorprender o de sorprenderse. |
Where the eye mixes sorprender and sorprendí
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 8 letters in sequence. sorprender runs 10 letters (CVCCCVCCVC) against sorprendí's 9 (CVCCCVCCV) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Visual trap between sorprender and sorprendí
A purely visual mix-up. sorprender ([soɾpɾẽn̪ˈd̪eɾ]) and sorprendí ([soɾpɾẽn̪ˈd̪i]) 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 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 47061, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
sorprender is recorded at frequency rank #10,228, classified as averb, pronounced [soɾpɾẽn̪ˈd̪eɾ]. sorprendí is at rank #36,833, tagged as averb, pronounced [soɾpɾẽn̪ˈd̪i].
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 47061, this pair ranks #122,166 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of sorprender vs sorprendí
Shared letters: denoprs. Private to "sorprender": -. Private to "sorprendí": í.
"sorprender" · 10 letters · shape CVCCCVCCVC · "sorprendí" · 9 letters · shape CVCCCVCCV
Known mistypes of this pair
- sorprender ← osrprender · soprrender · sorpernder · sorpprender · sorpredner · sorprendder · sorprenderr · sorprendre
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "sorprender" for "sorprendí" ever safe?
Which is more common, "sorprender" or "sorprendí"?
After this comparison
Eye-level mix-up between "sorprender" and "sorprendí" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "sorprender" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "sorprendí" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #122,166 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "sorprender" and "sorprendí" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "sorprendí vs sorprendía". 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 #122,166 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.