Which to use
“aplicaba” and “aplicar” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #28,237
- “aplicaba” frequency rank
- #2,861
- “aplicar” frequency rank
- 31098
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | aplicaba | aplicar |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Primera persona del singular (yo) del pretérito imperfecto de indicativo de aplicar o de aplicarse. | Poner una cosa sobre o en contacto de otra. |
Where the eye mixes aplicaba and aplicar
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence. aplicaba runs 8 letters (VCCVCVCV) against aplicar's 7 (VCCVCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses aplicaba with aplicar
A purely visual mix-up. aplicaba ([apliˈkaβ̞a]) and aplicar ([apliˈkaɾ]) 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 31098, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
aplicaba is recorded at frequency rank #28,237, classified as averb, pronounced [apliˈkaβ̞a]. aplicar is at rank #2,861, tagged as averb, pronounced [apliˈkaɾ].
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 31098, this pair ranks #208,792 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of aplicaba vs aplicar
Shared letters: acilp. Private to "aplicaba": b. Private to "aplicar": r.
"aplicaba" · 8 letters · shape VCCVCVCV · "aplicar" · 7 letters · shape VCCVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "aplicaba" for "aplicar" ever safe?
Frequency check: "aplicaba" vs "aplicar" - which ranks higher?
What to do next
Eye-level mix-up between "aplicaba" and "aplicar" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "aplicaba" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "aplicar" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #208,792 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "aplicaba" and "aplicar" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "aplicaba vs aplicaría". 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 #208,792 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.