subasvssubíanWhich spelling fits?

Which to use

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

#22,872
“subas” frequency rank
#34,354
“subían” frequency rank
57226
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature subas subían
Definition Segunda persona del singular (tú) del presente de subjuntivo de subir o de subirse. Tercera persona del plural (ellos, ellas; ustedes, 2.ª persona) del pretérito imperfecto de indicativo de subir o de subirse.

Where the eye mixes subas and subían

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence. subas runs 5 letters (CVCVC) against subían's 6 (CVCVVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.

5 ch
subas
6 ch
subían

Why the eye confuses subas with subían

A purely visual mix-up. subas ([ˈsuβ̞as]) and subían ([suˈβ̞iãn]) 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 57226, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

subas is recorded at frequency rank #22,872, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈsuβ̞as]. subían is at rank #34,354, tagged as averb, pronounced [suˈβ̞iãn].

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 57226, this pair ranks #71,334 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of subas vs subían

Shared letters: absu. Private to "subas": -. Private to "subían": ní.

"subas" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC  ·  "subían" · 6 letters · shape CVCVVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • subas ← sbuas · ssubas · suabs · subass · subbas · subsa · suvas · usbas

Frequently Asked Questions

Do "subas" and "subían" mean the same thing in a sentence?
No. They are said differently ([ˈsuβ̞as] versus [suˈβ̞iãn]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Frequency check: "subas" vs "subían" - which ranks higher?
"subas" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #22,872 in our Spanish list, against #34,354 for "subían". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

After this comparison

Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.

  • Full dictionary entry for "subas" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "subían" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #71,334 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "subas" and "subían" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "subían vs subís". 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 #71,334 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list