Which to use
“amaba” and “amarga” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #7,659
- “amaba” frequency rank
- #13,388
- “amarga” frequency rank
- 21047
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | amaba | amarga |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Primera persona del singular (yo) del pretérito imperfecto de indicativo de amar. | Tercera persona del singular (él, ella, ello; usted, 2.ª persona) del presente de indicativo de amargar. |
Where the eye mixes amaba and amarga
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence.
Look-alike desk: amaba vs amarga
A purely visual mix-up. amaba ([aˈmaβ̞a]) and amarga ([aˈmaɾɣ̞a]) 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 21047, 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]. amarga is at rank #13,388, tagged as averb, pronounced [aˈmaɾɣ̞a].
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 21047, this pair ranks #256,653 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of amaba vs amarga
Shared letters: am. Private to "amaba": b. Private to "amarga": gr.
"amaba" · 5 letters · shape VCVCV · "amarga" · 6 letters · shape VCVCCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "amaba" for "amarga" ever safe?
Frequency check: "amaba" vs "amarga" - which ranks higher?
After this comparison
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "amaba" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "amarga" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #256,653 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "amaba" and "amarga" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "amarga vs amarras". 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 #256,653 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.