cerrabavscursabaWhich spelling fits?

Which to use

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

#22,600
“cerraba” frequency rank
#47,691
“cursaba” frequency rank
70291
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature cerraba cursaba
Definition Primera persona del singular (yo) del pretérito imperfecto de indicativo de cerrar o de cerrarse. Primera persona del singular (yo) del pretérito imperfecto de indicativo de cursar.

Where the eye mixes cerraba and cursaba

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence. cerraba and cursaba follow the identical consonant-vowel pattern (CVCCVCV). Same shape at a glance is often the real trap, independent of shared letters.

7 ch
cerraba
7 ch
cursaba

Visual trap between cerraba and cursaba

A purely visual mix-up. cerraba ([seˈraβ̞a]) and cursaba ([kuɾˈsaβ̞a]) 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 70291, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

cerraba is recorded at frequency rank #22,600, classified as averb, pronounced [seˈraβ̞a]. cursaba is at rank #47,691, tagged as averb, pronounced [kuɾˈsaβ̞a].

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 70291, this pair ranks #30,046 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of cerraba vs cursaba

Shared letters: abcr. Private to "cerraba": e. Private to "cursaba": su.

"cerraba" · 7 letters · shape CVCCVCV  ·  "cursaba" · 7 letters · shape CVCCVCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • cerraba ← ccerraba · ceraba · cerarba · cerraab · cerrabba · cerrava · cerrbaa · creraba
  • cursaba ← ccursaba · crusaba · curasba · currsaba · cursaab · cursabba · cursava · cursbaa

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "cerraba" and "cursaba" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([seˈraβ̞a] versus [kuɾˈsaβ̞a]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Frequency check: "cerraba" vs "cursaba" - which ranks higher?
"cerraba" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #22,600 in our Spanish list, against #47,691 for "cursaba". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

After this comparison

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

  • Full dictionary entry for "cerraba" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "cursaba" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #30,046 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "cerraba" and "cursaba" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "cursaba vs cursada". 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 #30,046 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