Which to use
“sostenían” and “sustentan” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #33,853
- “sostenían” frequency rank
- #30,689
- “sustentan” frequency rank
- 64542
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | sostenían | sustentan |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Tercera persona del plural (ellos, ellas; ustedes, 2.ª persona) del pretérito imperfecto de indicativo de sostener o de sostenerse. | Tercera persona del plural (ellos, ellas; ustedes, 2.ª persona) del presente de indicativo de sustentar. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set sostenían and sustentan apart are highlighted. They share 7 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
sostenían and sustentan form a confusable pair in the Spanish index, two distinct headwords that are easily confused because they look alike, sound alike, or both. They share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions - close enough that the eye skips over the difference, far enough that meaning fully diverges. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 64542, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
sostenían is recorded at frequency rank #33,853, classified as averb, pronounced [sost̪eˈniãn]. sustentan is at rank #30,689, tagged as averb, pronounced [susˈt̪ẽn̪t̪ãn].
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 64542, this pair ranks #45,268 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "sostenían" and "sustentan" be used interchangeably?
Remembering sostenían vs sustentan
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 “sostenían” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable