Which to use
“aguanta” and “aguantaba” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #8,342
- “aguanta” frequency rank
- #35,854
- “aguantaba” frequency rank
- 44196
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | aguanta | aguantaba |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Tercera persona del singular (él, ella, ello; usted, 2.ª persona) del presente de indicativo de aguantar o de aguantarse. | Primera persona del singular (yo) del pretérito imperfecto de indicativo de aguantar o de aguantarse. |
Where the eye mixes aguanta and aguantaba
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence. aguanta runs 7 letters (VCVVCCV) against aguantaba's 9 (VCVVCCVCV) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses aguanta with aguantaba
A purely visual mix-up. aguanta ([aˈɣ̞wãn̪t̪a]) and aguantaba ([aɣ̞wãn̪ˈt̪aβ̞a]) 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 2 extra letter(s) - “aguanta” sits inside “aguantaba”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 44196, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
aguanta is recorded at frequency rank #8,342, classified as averb, pronounced [aˈɣ̞wãn̪t̪a]. aguantaba is at rank #35,854, tagged as averb, pronounced [aɣ̞wãn̪ˈt̪aβ̞a].
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 44196, this pair ranks #138,417 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of aguanta vs aguantaba
Shared letters: agntu. Private to "aguanta": -. Private to "aguantaba": b.
"aguanta" · 7 letters · shape VCVVCCV · "aguantaba" · 9 letters · shape VCVVCCVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "aguanta" for "aguantaba" ever safe?
In ordinary Spanish text, does "aguanta" or "aguantaba" show up more?
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 "aguanta" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "aguantaba" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #138,417 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "aguanta" and "aguantaba" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "aguantaba vs aguantas". 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 #138,417 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.