andabanvsandanWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#17,861
“andaban” frequency rank
#5,460
“andan” frequency rank
23321
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature andaban andan
Definition Tercera persona del plural (ellos, ellas; ustedes, 2.ª persona) del pretérito imperfecto de indicativo de andar o de andarse. Tercera persona del plural (ellos, ellas; ustedes, 2.ª persona) del presente de indicativo de andar o de andarse.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set andaban and andan apart are highlighted. They share 5 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

7 ch
andaban
5 ch
andan

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. andaban ([ãn̪ˈd̪aβ̞ãn]) and andan ([ˈãn̪d̪ãn]) 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 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 23321, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

andaban is recorded at frequency rank #17,861, classified as averb, pronounced [ãn̪ˈd̪aβ̞ãn]. andan is at rank #5,460, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈãn̪d̪ãn].

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 23321, this pair ranks #246,328 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of andaban vs andan

Shared letters: adn. Private to "andaban": b. Private to "andan": -.

"andaban" · 7 letters · shape VCCVCVC  ·  "andan" · 5 letters · shape VCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • andabanadnaban · anadban · andaabn · andabann · andabban · andabna · andavan · andbaan
  • andanadnan · anadn · andann · anddan · andna · anndan

Frequency comparison

andaban#17,861
andan#5,460

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "andaban" and "andan" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ãn̪ˈd̪aβ̞ãn] versus [ˈãn̪d̪ãn]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "andaban" or "andan"?
"andan" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #5,460 in our Spanish list, against #17,861 for "andaban". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering andaban vs andan

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 “andaban” 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