apuntabavsapuntadoWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#19,918
“apuntaba” frequency rank
#15,279
“apuntado” frequency rank
35197
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature apuntaba apuntado
Definition Primera persona del singular (yo) del pretérito imperfecto de indicativo de apuntar o de apuntarse. Participio de apuntar o de apuntarse.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set apuntaba and apuntado apart are highlighted. They share 6 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

8 ch
apuntaba
8 ch
apuntado

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. apuntaba ([apũn̪ˈt̪aβ̞a]) and apuntado ([apũn̪ˈt̪að̞o]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 35197, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

apuntaba is recorded at frequency rank #19,918, classified as averb, pronounced [apũn̪ˈt̪aβ̞a]. apuntado is at rank #15,279, tagged as averb, pronounced [apũn̪ˈt̪að̞o].

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 35197, this pair ranks #187,383 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of apuntaba vs apuntado

Shared letters: anptu. Private to "apuntaba": b. Private to "apuntado": do.

"apuntaba" · 8 letters · shape VCVCCVCV  ·  "apuntado" · 8 letters · shape VCVCCVCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • apuntabaapnutaba · appuntaba · apunatba · apunntaba · apuntaab · apuntabba · apuntava · apuntbaa
  • apuntadoapnutado · appuntado · apunatdo · apunntado · apuntaddo · apuntaod · apuntdao · apunttado

Frequency comparison

apuntaba#19,918
apuntado#15,279

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "apuntaba" and "apuntado" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([apũn̪ˈt̪aβ̞a] versus [apũn̪ˈt̪að̞o]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "apuntaba" or "apuntado"?
"apuntado" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #15,279 in our Spanish list, against #19,918 for "apuntaba". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering apuntaba vs apuntado

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 “apuntaba” 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