Which to use
“bastar” and “buscar” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #38,524
- “bastar” frequency rank
- #720
- “buscar” frequency rank
- 39244
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | bastar | buscar |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Ser suficiente y proporcionado para alguna cosa. | Esforzarse por encontrar o hallar algo o a alguien; intentar establecer dónde está. |
Where the eye mixes bastar and buscar
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence. bastar and buscar follow the identical consonant-vowel pattern (CVCCVC). Same shape at a glance is often the real trap, independent of shared letters.
Why the eye confuses bastar with buscar
A purely visual mix-up. bastar ([basˈt̪aɾ]) and buscar ([busˈkaɾ]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 39244, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
bastar is recorded at frequency rank #38,524, classified as averb, pronounced [basˈt̪aɾ]. buscar is at rank #720, tagged as averb, pronounced [busˈkaɾ].
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 39244, this pair ranks #165,645 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of bastar vs buscar
Shared letters: abrs. Private to "bastar": t. Private to "buscar": cu.
"bastar" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC · "buscar" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "bastar" and "buscar" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Which is more common, "bastar" or "buscar"?
Useful next steps
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "bastar" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "buscar" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #165,645 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "bastar" and "buscar" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "basas vs bastar". 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 #165,645 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.