varíavsveríaWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#8,449
“varía” frequency rank
#9,917
“vería” frequency rank
18366
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature varía vería
Definition Tercera persona del singular (él, ella, ello; usted, 2.ª persona) del presente de indicativo de variar. Primera persona del singular (yo) del condicional de ver o de verse.

Where the spellings diverge

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

5 ch
varía
5 ch
vería

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. varía ([baˈɾia]) and vería ([beˈɾia]) 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 - a in “varía” becomes e in “vería”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 18366, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

varía is recorded at frequency rank #8,449, classified as averb, pronounced [baˈɾia]. vería is at rank #9,917, tagged as averb, pronounced [beˈɾia].

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 18366, this pair ranks #268,214 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of varía vs vería

Shared letters: arví. Private to "varía": -. Private to "vería": e.

"varía" · 5 letters · shape CVCVV  ·  "vería" · 5 letters · shape CVCVV

Frequency comparison

varía#8,449
vería#9,917

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "varía" and "vería" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([baˈɾia] versus [beˈɾia]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "varía" or "vería"?
"varía" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #8,449 in our Spanish list, against #9,917 for "vería". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering varía vs vería

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 “varía” 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