apuntabavsapuntasConfusable pair

Which to use

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

#19,918
“apuntaba” frequency rank
#25,523
“apuntas” frequency rank
45441
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature apuntaba apuntas
Definition Primera persona del singular (yo) del pretérito imperfecto de indicativo de apuntar o de apuntarse. Segunda persona del singular (tú) del presente de indicativo de apuntar o de apuntarse.

Where the eye mixes apuntaba and apuntas

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence. apuntaba runs 8 letters (VCVCCVCV) against apuntas's 7 (VCVCCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.

8 ch
apuntaba
7 ch
apuntas

Visual trap between apuntaba and apuntas

A purely visual mix-up. apuntaba ([apũn̪ˈt̪aβ̞a]) and apuntas ([aˈpũn̪t̪as]) 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 45441, 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]. apuntas is at rank #25,523, tagged as averb, pronounced [aˈpũn̪t̪as].

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 45441, this pair ranks #131,412 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of apuntaba vs apuntas

Shared letters: anptu. Private to "apuntaba": b. Private to "apuntas": s.

"apuntaba" · 8 letters · shape VCVCCVCV  ·  "apuntas" · 7 letters · shape VCVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • apuntaba ← apnutaba · appuntaba · apunatba · apunntaba · apuntaab · apuntabba · apuntava · apuntbaa
  • apuntas ← apnutas · appuntas · apunats · apunntas · apuntass · apuntsa · apunttas · aputnas

Frequently Asked Questions

Do "apuntaba" and "apuntas" mean the same thing in a sentence?
No. They are said differently ([apũn̪ˈt̪aβ̞a] versus [aˈpũn̪t̪as]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Frequency check: "apuntaba" vs "apuntas" - which ranks higher?
"apuntaba" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #19,918 in our Spanish list, against #25,523 for "apuntas". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

What to do next

Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.

  • Full dictionary entry for "apuntaba" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "apuntas" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #131,412 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "apuntaba" and "apuntas" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "apuntada vs apuntas". 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 #131,412 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