bailabavsbasabaTell them apart

Which to use

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

#27,496
“bailaba” frequency rank
#26,721
“basaba” frequency rank
54217
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature bailaba basaba
Definition Primera persona del singular (yo) del pretérito imperfecto de indicativo de bailar. Primera persona del singular (yo) del pretérito imperfecto de indicativo de basar o de basarse.

Where the eye mixes bailaba and basaba

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence.

7 ch
bailaba
6 ch
basaba

Visual trap between bailaba and basaba

A purely visual mix-up. bailaba ([bajˈlaβ̞a]) and basaba ([baˈsaβ̞a]) 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 54217, 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]. basaba is at rank #26,721, tagged as averb, pronounced [baˈsaβ̞a].

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 54217, this pair ranks #84,296 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of bailaba vs basaba

Shared letters: ab. Private to "bailaba": il. Private to "basaba": s.

"bailaba" · 7 letters · shape CVVCVCV  ·  "basaba" · 6 letters · shape CVCVCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • bailabaabilaba · baialba · bailaab · bailabba · bailbaa · baillaba · baliaba · bbailaba
  • basabaabsaba · baasba · basaab · basabba · basbaa · bassaba · bbasaba · bsaaba

Frequently Asked Questions

Do "bailaba" and "basaba" mean the same thing in a sentence?
No. They are said differently ([bajˈlaβ̞a] versus [baˈsaβ̞a]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "bailaba" or "basaba"?
"basaba" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #26,721 in our Spanish list, against #27,496 for "bailaba". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Useful next steps

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

  • Full dictionary entry for "bailaba" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "basaba" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #84,296 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "bailaba" and "basaba" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "basaba vs basas". 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 #84,296 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