cargabavscortabaWhich spelling fits?

Which to use

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

#29,964
“cargaba” frequency rank
#29,567
“cortaba” frequency rank
59531
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature cargaba cortaba
Definition Primera persona del singular (yo) del pretérito imperfecto de indicativo de cargar. Primera persona del singular (yo) del pretérito imperfecto de indicativo de cortar o de cortarse.

Where the eye mixes cargaba and cortaba

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

7 ch
cargaba
7 ch
cortaba

Why the eye confuses cargaba with cortaba

A purely visual mix-up. cargaba ([kaɾˈɣ̞aβ̞a]) and cortaba ([koɾˈt̪aβ̞a]) 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 59531, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

cargaba is recorded at frequency rank #29,964, classified as averb, pronounced [kaɾˈɣ̞aβ̞a]. cortaba is at rank #29,567, tagged as averb, pronounced [koɾˈt̪aβ̞a].

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 59531, this pair ranks #62,256 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of cargaba vs cortaba

Shared letters: abcr. Private to "cargaba": g. Private to "cortaba": ot.

"cargaba" · 7 letters · shape CVCCVCV  ·  "cortaba" · 7 letters · shape CVCCVCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • cargabaacrgaba · cagraba · caragba · cargaab · cargabba · cargava · cargbaa · carggaba
  • cortabaccortaba · coratba · corrtaba · cortaab · cortabba · cortava · cortbaa · corttaba

Frequently Asked Questions

Do "cargaba" and "cortaba" mean the same thing in a sentence?
No. They are said differently ([kaɾˈɣ̞aβ̞a] versus [koɾˈt̪aβ̞a]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "cargaba" or "cortaba"?
"cortaba" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #29,567 in our Spanish list, against #29,964 for "cargaba". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

After this comparison

Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.

  • Full dictionary entry for "cargaba" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "cortaba" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #62,256 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "cargaba" and "cortaba" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "cargaba vs carnada". 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 #62,256 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