Which to use
“amaba” and “amar” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #7,659
- “amaba” frequency rank
- #4,301
- “amar” frequency rank
- 11960
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | amaba | amar |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Primera persona del singular (yo) del pretérito imperfecto de indicativo de amar. | Sentir amor por alguien o algo. |
Where the eye mixes amaba and amar
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence.
Visual trap between amaba and amar
A purely visual mix-up. amaba ([aˈmaβ̞a]) and amar ([aˈmaɾ]) 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 11960, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
amaba is recorded at frequency rank #7,659, classified as averb, pronounced [aˈmaβ̞a]. amar is at rank #4,301, tagged as averb, pronounced [aˈmaɾ].
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 11960, this pair ranks #293,244 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of amaba vs amar
Shared letters: am. Private to "amaba": b. Private to "amar": r.
"amaba" · 5 letters · shape VCVCV · "amar" · 4 letters · shape VCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "amaba" for "amar" ever safe?
Frequency check: "amaba" vs "amar" - which ranks higher?
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 "amaba" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "amar" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #293,244 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "amaba" and "amar" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "amaba vs amarra". 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 #293,244 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.