valíanvsvallanWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#40,063
“valían” frequency rank
#48,748
“vallan” frequency rank
88811
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature valían vallan
Definition Tercera persona del plural (ellos, ellas; ustedes, 2.ª persona) del pretérito imperfecto de indicativo de valer o de valerse. Tercera persona del plural (ellos, ellas; ustedes, 2.ª persona) del presente de indicativo de vallar.

Where the spellings diverge

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

6 ch
valían
6 ch
vallan

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. valían ([baˈliãn]) and vallan ([ˈbaʝãn]) 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 a single letter - í in “valían” becomes l in “vallan”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 88811, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

valían is recorded at frequency rank #40,063, classified as averb, pronounced [baˈliãn]. vallan is at rank #48,748, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈbaʝãn].

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 88811, this pair ranks #3,528 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of valían vs vallan

Shared letters: alnv. Private to "valían": í. Private to "vallan": -.

"valían" · 6 letters · shape CVCVVC  ·  "vallan" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • vallanavllan · ballan · valaln · valan · vallann · vallna · vlalan · vvallan

Frequency comparison

valían#40,063
vallan#48,748

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "valían" and "vallan" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([baˈliãn] versus [ˈbaʝãn]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "valían" or "vallan"?
"valían" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #40,063 in our Spanish list, against #48,748 for "vallan". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering valían vs vallan

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 “valían” 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