aprobabavsaprobarWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#37,422
“aprobaba” frequency rank
#5,069
“aprobar” frequency rank
42491
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature aprobaba aprobar
Definition Primera persona del singular (yo) del pretérito imperfecto de indicativo de aprobar. Dar por bueno o conforme algo.

Where the eye mixes aprobaba and aprobar

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence.

8 ch
aprobaba
7 ch
aprobar

Look-alike desk: aprobaba vs aprobar

A purely visual mix-up. aprobaba ([apɾoˈβ̞aβ̞a]) and aprobar ([apɾoˈβ̞aɾ]) 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 42491, 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]. aprobar is at rank #5,069, tagged as averb, pronounced [apɾoˈβ̞aɾ].

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 42491, this pair ranks #147,908 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of aprobaba vs aprobar

Shared letters: abopr. Private to "aprobaba": -. Private to "aprobar": -.

"aprobaba" · 8 letters · shape VCCVCVCV  ·  "aprobar" · 7 letters · shape VCCVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • aprobabaaporbaba · approbaba · aprboaba · aproabba · aprobaab · aprobabba · aprobbaa · aprobbaba
  • aprobaraporbar · approbar · aprboar · aproabr · aprobarr · aprobbar · aprobra · aprovar

Frequently Asked Questions

Is swapping "aprobaba" for "aprobar" ever safe?
No. They are said differently ([apɾoˈβ̞aβ̞a] versus [apɾoˈβ̞aɾ]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Frequency check: "aprobaba" vs "aprobar" - which ranks higher?
"aprobar" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #5,069 in our Spanish list, against #37,422 for "aprobaba". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

After this comparison

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 "aprobar" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #147,908 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "aprobaba" and "aprobar" 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 #147,908 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list