Which to use
“these” and “they” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #26,643
- “these” frequency rank
- #14,023
- “they” frequency rank
- 40666
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | these | they |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Estos, estas, plural de this. | Ellos, ellas. |
Where the eye mixes these and they
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses these with they
A purely visual mix-up. these (/ðiːz/) and they (/ðeɪ/) 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 40666, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
these is recorded at frequency rank #26,643, classified as apron, pronounced /ðiːz/. they is at rank #14,023, tagged as apron, pronounced /ðeɪ/.
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 40666, this pair ranks #157,875 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of these vs they
Shared letters: eht. Private to "these": s. Private to "they": y.
"these" · 5 letters · shape CCVCV · "they" · 4 letters · shape CCVV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "these" for "they" ever safe?
Which is more common, "these" or "they"?
After this comparison
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "these" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "they" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #157,875 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "these" and "they" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "teje vs these". 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 #157,875 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.