aspirabavsaspiranTell them apart

Which to use

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

#40,655
“aspiraba” frequency rank
#21,231
“aspiran” frequency rank
61886
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature aspiraba aspiran
Definition Primera persona del singular (yo) del pretérito imperfecto de indicativo de aspirar. Tercera persona del plural (ellos, ellas; ustedes, 2.ª persona) del presente de indicativo de aspirar.

Where the eye mixes aspiraba and aspiran

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

8 ch
aspiraba
7 ch
aspiran

Look-alike desk: aspiraba vs aspiran

A purely visual mix-up. aspiraba ([aspiˈɾaβ̞a]) and aspiran ([asˈpiɾãn]) 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 61886, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

aspiraba is recorded at frequency rank #40,655, classified as averb, pronounced [aspiˈɾaβ̞a]. aspiran is at rank #21,231, tagged as averb, pronounced [asˈpiɾãn].

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 61886, this pair ranks #53,933 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of aspiraba vs aspiran

Shared letters: aiprs. Private to "aspiraba": b. Private to "aspiran": n.

"aspiraba" · 8 letters · shape VCCVCVCV  ·  "aspiran" · 7 letters · shape VCCVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • aspiraba ← apsiraba · asipraba · aspiarba · aspiraab · aspirabba · aspirava · aspirbaa · aspirraba
  • aspiran ← apsiran · asipran · aspiarn · aspirann · aspirna · aspirran · asppiran · asprian

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "aspiraba" and "aspiran" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([aspiˈɾaβ̞a] versus [asˈpiɾãn]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "aspiraba" or "aspiran"?
"aspiran" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #21,231 in our Spanish list, against #40,655 for "aspiraba". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

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 "aspiraba" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "aspiran" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #53,933 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "aspiraba" and "aspiran" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "aspiraba vs aspirina". 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 #53,933 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