Which to use
“valían” and “varían” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #40,063
- “valían” frequency rank
- #10,241
- “varían” frequency rank
- 50304
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | valían | varían |
|---|---|---|
| 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 variar. |
Where the eye mixes valían and varían
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence. valían and varían follow the identical consonant-vowel pattern (CVCVVC). Same shape at a glance is often the real trap, independent of shared letters.
Look-alike desk: valían vs varían
A purely visual mix-up. valían ([baˈliãn]) and varían ([baˈɾiãn]) 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 - l in “valían” becomes r in “varían”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 50304, 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]. varían is at rank #10,241, tagged as averb, pronounced [baˈɾiãn].
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 50304, this pair ranks #103,928 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of valían vs varían
Shared letters: anví. Private to "valían": l. Private to "varían": r.
"valían" · 6 letters · shape CVCVVC · "varían" · 6 letters · shape CVCVVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "valían" for "varían" ever safe?
Frequency check: "valían" vs "varían" - which ranks higher?
After this comparison
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "valían" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "varían" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #103,928 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "valían" and "varían" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "valían vs vallan". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #103,928 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.