sufrívssufríanWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#22,523
“sufrí” frequency rank
#29,854
“sufrían” frequency rank
52377
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature sufrí sufrían
Definition Primera persona del singular (yo) del pretérito perfecto simple de indicativo de sufrir. 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 sufrí and sufrían apart are highlighted. They share 5 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

5 ch
sufrí
7 ch
sufrían

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. sufrí ([suˈfɾi]) 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 2 extra letter(s) - “sufrí” sits inside “sufrían”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 52377, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

sufrí is recorded at frequency rank #22,523, classified as averb, pronounced [suˈfɾi]. 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 52377, this pair ranks #93,009 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of sufrí vs sufrían

Shared letters: frsuí. Private to "sufrí": -. Private to "sufrían": an.

"sufrí" · 5 letters · shape CVCCV  ·  "sufrían" · 7 letters · shape CVCCVVC

Frequency comparison

sufrí#22,523
sufrían#29,854

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "sufrí" and "sufrían" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([suˈfɾi] versus [suˈfɾiãn]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "sufrí" or "sufrían"?
"sufrí" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #22,523 in our Spanish list, against #29,854 for "sufrían". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering sufrí 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 “sufrí” 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