Which to use
“aprobaba” is a verb and “aprobado” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #37,422
- “aprobaba” frequency rank
- #3,535
- “aprobado” frequency rank
- 40957
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | aprobaba | aprobado |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Primera persona del singular (yo) del pretérito imperfecto de indicativo de aprobar. | Que se le ha dado el visto bueno. |
Where the eye mixes aprobaba and aprobado
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence.
Look-alike desk: aprobaba vs aprobado
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: aprobaba is [apɾoˈβ̞aβ̞a] while aprobado is [apɾoˈβ̞að̞o]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 40957, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
aprobaba is recorded at frequency rank #37,422, classified as averb, pronounced [apɾoˈβ̞aβ̞a]. aprobado is at rank #3,535, tagged as anadj, pronounced [apɾoˈβ̞að̞o].
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 40957, this pair ranks #156,283 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of aprobaba vs aprobado
Shared letters: abopr. Private to "aprobaba": -. Private to "aprobado": d.
"aprobaba" · 8 letters · shape VCCVCVCV · "aprobado" · 8 letters · shape VCCVCVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "aprobaba" and "aprobado" be used interchangeably?
Frequency check: "aprobaba" vs "aprobado" - which ranks higher?
What to do next
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "aprobaba" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "aprobado" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #156,283 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "aprobaba" and "aprobado" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "apretaba vs aprobaba". 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 #156,283 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.