Which to use
“acaba” and “amaban” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #1,232
- “acaba” frequency rank
- #33,925
- “amaban” frequency rank
- 35157
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | acaba | amaban |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Tercera persona del singular (él, ella, ello; usted, 2.ª persona) del presente de indicativo de acabar. | Tercera persona del plural (ellos, ellas; ustedes, 2.ª persona) del pretérito imperfecto de indicativo de amar. |
Where the eye mixes acaba and amaban
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses acaba with amaban
A purely visual mix-up. acaba ([aˈkaβ̞a]) and amaban ([aˈmaβ̞ãn]) 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 35157, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
acaba is recorded at frequency rank #1,232, classified as averb, pronounced [aˈkaβ̞a]. amaban is at rank #33,925, tagged as averb, pronounced [aˈmaβ̞ãn].
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 35157, this pair ranks #187,605 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of acaba vs amaban
Shared letters: ab. Private to "acaba": c. Private to "amaban": mn.
"acaba" · 5 letters · shape VCVCV · "amaban" · 6 letters · shape VCVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "acaba" for "amaban" ever safe?
Which is more common, "acaba" or "amaban"?
Useful next steps
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "acaba" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "amaban" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #187,605 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "acaba" and "amaban" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "amaban vs amadas". 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 #187,605 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.