Which to use
“acabar” and “acaben” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #2,004
- “acabar” frequency rank
- #15,762
- “acaben” frequency rank
- 17766
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | acabar | acaben |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Llevar algo a su fin. | Tercera persona del plural (ellos, ellas; ustedes, 2.ª persona) del presente de subjuntivo de acabar. |
Where the eye mixes acabar and acaben
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses acabar with acaben
A purely visual mix-up. acabar ([akaˈβ̞aɾ]) and acaben ([aˈkaβ̞ẽn]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 17766, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
acabar is recorded at frequency rank #2,004, classified as averb, pronounced [akaˈβ̞aɾ]. acaben is at rank #15,762, tagged as averb, pronounced [aˈkaβ̞ẽn].
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 17766, this pair ranks #270,773 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of acabar vs acaben
Shared letters: abc. Private to "acabar": r. Private to "acaben": en.
"acabar" · 6 letters · shape VCVCVC · "acaben" · 6 letters · shape VCVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "acabar" and "acaben" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "acabar" or "acaben"?
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 "acabar" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "acaben" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #270,773 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "acabar" and "acaben" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "acaben vs aclaren". 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 #270,773 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.