acabasvsacabenWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#8,074
“acabas” frequency rank
#15,762
“acaben” frequency rank
23836
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature acabas acaben
Definition Segunda persona del singular (tú) del presente de indicativo de acabar. Tercera persona del plural (ellos, ellas; ustedes, 2.ª persona) del presente de subjuntivo de acabar.

Where the spellings diverge

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

6 ch
acabas
6 ch
acaben

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. acabas ([aˈkaβ̞as]) 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 23836, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

acabas is recorded at frequency rank #8,074, classified as averb, pronounced [aˈkaβ̞as]. 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 23836, this pair ranks #243,941 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of acabas vs acaben

Shared letters: abc. Private to "acabas": s. Private to "acaben": en.

"acabas" · 6 letters · shape VCVCVC  ·  "acaben" · 6 letters · shape VCVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • acabasaacbas · acaabs · acabass · acabbas · acabsa · acavas · acbaas · accabas
  • acabenaacben · acabben · acabenn · acabne · acaebn · acaven · acbaen · accaben

Frequency comparison

acabas#8,074
acaben#15,762

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "acabas" and "acaben" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([aˈkaβ̞as] versus [aˈkaβ̞ẽn]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "acabas" or "acaben"?
"acabas" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #8,074 in our Spanish list, against #15,762 for "acaben". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering acabas vs acaben

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 “acabas” 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