Which to use
“apuntaban” and “apuntalar” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #35,874
- “apuntaban” frequency rank
- #46,334
- “apuntalar” frequency rank
- 82208
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | apuntaban | apuntalar |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Tercera persona del plural (ellos, ellas; ustedes, 2.ª persona) del pretérito imperfecto de indicativo de apuntar. | Poner puntales a algo, para sostenerlo o reforzarlo. |
Where the eye mixes apuntaban and apuntalar
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence. apuntaban and apuntalar follow the identical consonant-vowel pattern (VCVCCVCVC). Same shape at a glance is often the real trap, independent of shared letters.
Why the eye confuses apuntaban with apuntalar
A purely visual mix-up. apuntaban ([apũn̪ˈt̪aβ̞ãn]) and apuntalar ([apũn̪t̪aˈlaɾ]) 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 82208, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
apuntaban is recorded at frequency rank #35,874, classified as averb, pronounced [apũn̪ˈt̪aβ̞ãn]. apuntalar is at rank #46,334, tagged as averb, pronounced [apũn̪t̪aˈlaɾ].
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 82208, this pair ranks #9,489 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of apuntaban vs apuntalar
Shared letters: anptu. Private to "apuntaban": b. Private to "apuntalar": lr.
"apuntaban" · 9 letters · shape VCVCCVCVC · "apuntalar" · 9 letters · shape VCVCCVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "apuntaban" and "apuntalar" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Which is more common, "apuntaban" or "apuntalar"?
What to do next
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "apuntaban" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "apuntalar" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #9,489 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "apuntaban" and "apuntalar" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "apuñala vs apuntalar". 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 #9,489 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.