bailabavsbailabanWhich spelling fits?

Which to use

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

#27,496
“bailaba” frequency rank
#41,204
“bailaban” frequency rank
68700
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature bailaba bailaban
Definition Primera persona del singular (yo) del pretérito imperfecto de indicativo de bailar. Tercera persona del plural (ellos, ellas; ustedes, 2.ª persona) del pretérito imperfecto de indicativo de bailar.

Where the eye mixes bailaba and bailaban

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence.

7 ch
bailaba
8 ch
bailaban

Look-alike desk: bailaba vs bailaban

A purely visual mix-up. bailaba ([bajˈlaβ̞a]) and bailaban ([bajˈlaβ̞ãn]) 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 extra letter(s) - “bailaba” sits inside “bailaban”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 68700, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

bailaba is recorded at frequency rank #27,496, classified as averb, pronounced [bajˈlaβ̞a]. bailaban is at rank #41,204, tagged as averb, pronounced [bajˈlaβ̞ãn].

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 68700, this pair ranks #33,806 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of bailaba vs bailaban

Shared letters: abil. Private to "bailaba": -. Private to "bailaban": n.

"bailaba" · 7 letters · shape CVVCVCV  ·  "bailaban" · 8 letters · shape CVVCVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • bailabaabilaba · baialba · bailaab · bailabba · bailbaa · baillaba · baliaba · bbailaba
  • bailabanabilaban · baialban · bailaabn · bailabann · bailabban · bailabna · bailbaan · baillaban

Frequently Asked Questions

Do "bailaba" and "bailaban" mean the same thing in a sentence?
No. They are said differently ([bajˈlaβ̞a] versus [bajˈlaβ̞ãn]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "bailaba" or "bailaban"?
"bailaba" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #27,496 in our Spanish list, against #41,204 for "bailaban". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

What to do next

Eye-level mix-up between "bailaba" and "bailaban" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.

  • Full dictionary entry for "bailaba" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "bailaban" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #33,806 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "bailaba" and "bailaban" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "bailaban vs basaban". 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 #33,806 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