sufríanvssufrirWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#29,854
“sufrían” frequency rank
#3,019
“sufrir” frequency rank
32873
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature sufrían sufrir
Definition Tercera persona del plural (ellos, ellas; ustedes, 2.ª persona) del pretérito imperfecto de indicativo de sufrir. Sentir un malestar, un dolor, una pena, cualquier otra sensación o situación indeseada.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set sufrían and sufrir apart are highlighted. They share 4 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

7 ch
sufrían
6 ch
sufrir

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. sufrían ([suˈfɾiãn]) and sufrir ([suˈfɾiɾ]) 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 32873, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

sufrían is recorded at frequency rank #29,854, classified as averb, pronounced [suˈfɾiãn]. sufrir is at rank #3,019, tagged as averb, pronounced [suˈfɾiɾ].

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 32873, this pair ranks #199,754 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of sufrían vs sufrir

Shared letters: frsu. Private to "sufrían": aní. Private to "sufrir": i.

"sufrían" · 7 letters · shape CVCCVVC  ·  "sufrir" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • sufrirsfurir · ssufrir · suffrir · sufirr · sufrirr · sufrri · sufrrir · surfir

Frequency comparison

sufrían#29,854
sufrir#3,019

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "sufrían" and "sufrir" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([suˈfɾiãn] versus [suˈfɾiɾ]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "sufrían" or "sufrir"?
"sufrir" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #3,019 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 sufrían vs sufrir

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 “sufrían” 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