comprabanvscompruebanWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#36,481
“compraban” frequency rank
#37,506
“comprueban” frequency rank
73987
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature compraban comprueban
Definition Tercera persona del plural (ellos, ellas; ustedes, 2.ª persona) del pretérito imperfecto de indicativo de comprar. Tercera persona del plural (ellos, ellas; ustedes, 2.ª persona) del presente de indicativo de comprobar.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set compraban and comprueban apart are highlighted. They share 8 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

9 ch
compraban
10 ch
comprueban

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. compraban ([kõmˈpɾaβ̞ãn]) and comprueban ([kõmˈpɾweβ̞ãn]) 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 73987, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

compraban is recorded at frequency rank #36,481, classified as averb, pronounced [kõmˈpɾaβ̞ãn]. comprueban is at rank #37,506, tagged as averb, pronounced [kõmˈpɾweβ̞ãn].

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 73987, this pair ranks #22,192 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of compraban vs comprueban

Shared letters: abcmnopr. Private to "compraban": -. Private to "comprueban": eu.

"compraban" · 9 letters · shape CVCCCVCVC  ·  "comprueban" · 10 letters · shape CVCCCVVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • comprabanccompraban · cmopraban · commpraban · comparban · comppraban · compraabn · comprabann · comprabban
  • compruebanccomprueban · cmoprueban · commprueban · compprueban · compreuban · comprrueban · comprubean · comprueabn

Frequency comparison

compraban#36,481
comprueban#37,506

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "compraban" and "comprueban" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([kõmˈpɾaβ̞ãn] versus [kõmˈpɾweβ̞ãn]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "compraban" or "comprueban"?
"compraban" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #36,481 in our Spanish list, against #37,506 for "comprueban". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering compraban vs comprueban

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “compraban” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list