Which to use
“aguantaba” and “aguantan” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #35,854
- “aguantaba” frequency rank
- #24,366
- “aguantan” frequency rank
- 60220
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | aguantaba | aguantan |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Primera persona del singular (yo) del pretérito imperfecto de indicativo de aguantar o de aguantarse. | Tercera persona del plural (ellos, ellas; ustedes, 2.ª persona) del presente de indicativo de aguantar o de aguantarse. |
Where the eye mixes aguantaba and aguantan
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence. aguantaba runs 9 letters (VCVVCCVCV) against aguantan's 8 (VCVVCCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses aguantaba with aguantan
A purely visual mix-up. aguantaba ([aɣ̞wãn̪ˈt̪aβ̞a]) and aguantan ([aˈɣ̞wãn̪t̪ãn]) 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 60220, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
aguantaba is recorded at frequency rank #35,854, classified as averb, pronounced [aɣ̞wãn̪ˈt̪aβ̞a]. aguantan is at rank #24,366, tagged as averb, pronounced [aˈɣ̞wãn̪t̪ãn].
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 60220, this pair ranks #59,726 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of aguantaba vs aguantan
Shared letters: agntu. Private to "aguantaba": b. Private to "aguantan": -.
"aguantaba" · 9 letters · shape VCVVCCVCV · "aguantan" · 8 letters · shape VCVVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "aguantaba" for "aguantan" ever safe?
In ordinary Spanish text, does "aguantaba" or "aguantan" show up more?
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 "aguantaba" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "aguantan" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #59,726 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "aguantaba" and "aguantan" 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 #59,726 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.