Which to use
“triste” is an adjective and “tuviste” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #1,259
- “triste” frequency rank
- #6,604
- “tuviste” frequency rank
- 7863
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | triste | tuviste |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Que siente tristeza. | Segunda persona del singular (tú, vos) del pretérito perfecto simple de indicativo de tener o de tenerse. |
Where the eye mixes triste and tuviste
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence. triste runs 6 letters (CCVCCV) against tuviste's 7 (CVCVCCV) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Visual trap between triste and tuviste
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: triste is [ˈt̪ɾist̪e] while tuviste is [t̪uˈβ̞ist̪e]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (adjective vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 7863, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
triste is recorded at frequency rank #1,259, classified as anadj, pronounced [ˈt̪ɾist̪e]. tuviste is at rank #6,604, tagged as averb, pronounced [t̪uˈβ̞ist̪e].
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 7863, this pair ranks #306,704 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of triste vs tuviste
Shared letters: eist. Private to "triste": r. Private to "tuviste": uv.
"triste" · 6 letters · shape CCVCCV · "tuviste" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "triste" and "tuviste" mean the same thing in a sentence?
In ordinary Spanish text, does "triste" or "tuviste" show up more?
What to do next
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "triste" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "tuviste" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #306,704 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "triste" and "tuviste" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "trajiste vs triste". 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 #306,704 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.