Which to use
“autoriza” and “autorizaba” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #13,848
- “autoriza” frequency rank
- #48,233
- “autorizaba” frequency rank
- 62081
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | autoriza | autorizaba |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Tercera persona del singular (él, ella, ello; usted, 2.ª persona) del presente de indicativo de autorizar. | Primera persona del singular (yo) del pretérito imperfecto de indicativo de autorizar. |
Where the eye mixes autoriza and autorizaba
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 8 letters in sequence. autoriza runs 8 letters (VVCVCVCV) against autorizaba's 10 (VVCVCVCVCV) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses autoriza with autorizaba
A purely visual mix-up. autoriza ([awt̪oˈɾisa]) and autorizaba ([awt̪oɾiˈsaβ̞a]) 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 2 extra letter(s) - “autoriza” sits inside “autorizaba”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 62081, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
autoriza is recorded at frequency rank #13,848, classified as averb, pronounced [awt̪oˈɾisa]. autorizaba is at rank #48,233, tagged as averb, pronounced [awt̪oɾiˈsaβ̞a].
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 62081, this pair ranks #53,205 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of autoriza vs autorizaba
Shared letters: aiortuz. Private to "autoriza": -. Private to "autorizaba": b.
"autoriza" · 8 letters · shape VVCVCVCV · "autorizaba" · 10 letters · shape VVCVCVCVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
- autoriza ← atuoriza · auotriza · autoirza · autoriaz · autorizza · autorriza · autorzia · autroiza
- autorizaba ← atuorizaba · auotrizaba · autoirzaba · autoriazba · autorizaab · autorizabba · autorizava · autorizbaa
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "autoriza" for "autorizaba" ever safe?
Frequency check: "autoriza" vs "autorizaba" - which ranks higher?
Useful next steps
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "autoriza" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "autorizaba" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #53,205 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "autoriza" and "autorizaba" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "autorizaba vs autorizan". 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 #53,205 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.