subíanvssufríanWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#34,354
“subían” frequency rank
#29,854
“sufrían” frequency rank
64208
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature subían sufrían
Definition Tercera persona del plural (ellos, ellas; ustedes, 2.ª persona) del pretérito imperfecto de indicativo de subir o de subirse. Tercera persona del plural (ellos, ellas; ustedes, 2.ª persona) del pretérito imperfecto de indicativo de sufrir.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set subían and sufrían apart are highlighted. They share 5 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

6 ch
subían
7 ch
sufrían

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. subían ([suˈβ̞iãn]) and sufrían ([suˈfɾiãn]) 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 64208, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

subían is recorded at frequency rank #34,354, classified as averb, pronounced [suˈβ̞iãn]. sufrían is at rank #29,854, tagged as averb, pronounced [suˈfɾiãn].

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 64208, this pair ranks #46,288 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of subían vs sufrían

Shared letters: ansuí. Private to "subían": b. Private to "sufrían": fr.

"subían" · 6 letters · shape CVCVVC  ·  "sufrían" · 7 letters · shape CVCCVVC

Frequency comparison

subían#34,354
sufrían#29,854

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "subían" and "sufrían" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([suˈβ̞iãn] versus [suˈfɾiãn]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "subían" or "sufrían"?
"sufrían" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #29,854 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.

Remembering subían vs sufrían

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 “subían” 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