bajabavsbastabaWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#18,164
“bajaba” frequency rank
#26,326
“bastaba” frequency rank
44490
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature bajaba bastaba
Definition Primera persona del singular (yo) del pretérito imperfecto de indicativo de bajar o de bajarse. Primera persona del singular (yo) del pretérito imperfecto de indicativo de bastar o de bastarse.

Where the eye mixes bajaba and bastaba

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

6 ch
bajaba
7 ch
bastaba

Visual trap between bajaba and bastaba

A purely visual mix-up. bajaba ([baˈxaβ̞a]) and bastaba ([basˈt̪aβ̞a]) 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 44490, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

bajaba is recorded at frequency rank #18,164, classified as averb, pronounced [baˈxaβ̞a]. bastaba is at rank #26,326, tagged as averb, pronounced [basˈt̪aβ̞a].

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 44490, this pair ranks #136,775 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of bajaba vs bastaba

Shared letters: ab. Private to "bajaba": j. Private to "bastaba": st.

"bajaba" · 6 letters · shape CVCVCV  ·  "bastaba" · 7 letters · shape CVCCVCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • bajabaabjaba · baajba · bajaab · bajabba · bajbaa · bajjaba · bbajaba · bjaaba
  • bastabaabstaba · basatba · basstaba · bastaab · bastabba · bastbaa · basttaba · batsaba

Frequently Asked Questions

Is swapping "bajaba" for "bastaba" ever safe?
No. They are said differently ([baˈxaβ̞a] versus [basˈt̪aβ̞a]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "bajaba" or "bastaba"?
"bajaba" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #18,164 in our Spanish list, against #26,326 for "bastaba". 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 "bajaba" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "bastaba" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #136,775 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "bajaba" and "bastaba" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "basaban vs bastaba". 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 #136,775 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