comprabavscomprateWhich spelling fits?

Which to use

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

#19,957
“compraba” frequency rank
#35,952
“comprate” frequency rank
55909
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature compraba comprate
Definition Primera persona del singular (yo) del pretérito imperfecto de indicativo de comprar. Segunda persona del singular (vos) del imperativo afirmativo de comprarse (con el pronombre «te» enclítico).

Where the eye mixes compraba and comprate

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence.

8 ch
compraba
8 ch
comprate

Look-alike desk: compraba vs comprate

A purely visual mix-up. compraba ([kõmˈpɾaβ̞a]) and comprate ([kõmˈpɾat̪e]) 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 55909, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

compraba is recorded at frequency rank #19,957, classified as averb, pronounced [kõmˈpɾaβ̞a]. comprate is at rank #35,952, tagged as averb, pronounced [kõmˈpɾat̪e].

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 55909, this pair ranks #76,822 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of compraba vs comprate

Shared letters: acmopr. Private to "compraba": b. Private to "comprate": et.

"compraba" · 8 letters · shape CVCCCVCV  ·  "comprate" · 8 letters · shape CVCCCVCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • comprabaccompraba · cmopraba · commpraba · comparba · comppraba · compraab · comprabba · comprava
  • comprateccomprate · cmoprate · commprate · compprate · compraet · compratte · comprrate · comprtae

Frequently Asked Questions

Is swapping "compraba" for "comprate" ever safe?
No. They are said differently ([kõmˈpɾaβ̞a] versus [kõmˈpɾat̪e]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "compraba" or "comprate"?
"compraba" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #19,957 in our Spanish list, against #35,952 for "comprate". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

After this comparison

Eye-level mix-up between "compraba" and "comprate" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.

  • Full dictionary entry for "compraba" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "comprate" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #76,822 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "compraba" and "comprate" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "comprate vs corporate". 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 #76,822 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