Which to use
“controlaba” and “controlan” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #25,196
- “controlaba” frequency rank
- #11,382
- “controlan” frequency rank
- 36578
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | controlaba | controlan |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Primera persona del singular (yo) del pretérito imperfecto de indicativo de controlar o de controlarse. | Tercera persona del plural (ellos, ellas; ustedes, 2.ª persona) del presente de indicativo de controlar o de controlarse. |
Where the eye mixes controlaba and controlan
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 8 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses controlaba with controlan
A purely visual mix-up. controlaba ([kõn̪t̪ɾoˈlaβ̞a]) and controlan ([kõn̪ˈt̪ɾolãn]) 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 36578, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
controlaba is recorded at frequency rank #25,196, classified as averb, pronounced [kõn̪t̪ɾoˈlaβ̞a]. controlan is at rank #11,382, tagged as averb, pronounced [kõn̪ˈt̪ɾolãn].
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 36578, this pair ranks #179,892 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of controlaba vs controlan
Shared letters: aclnort. Private to "controlaba": b. Private to "controlan": -.
"controlaba" · 10 letters · shape CVCCCVCVCV · "controlan" · 9 letters · shape CVCCCVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- controlaba ← ccontrolaba · cnotrolaba · conntrolaba · conrtolaba · contorlaba · contrloaba · controalba · controlaab
- controlan ← ccontrolan · cnotrolan · conntrolan · conrtolan · contorlan · contrloan · controaln · controlann
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "controlaba" for "controlan" ever safe?
In ordinary Spanish text, does "controlaba" or "controlan" show up more?
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 "controlaba" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "controlan" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #179,892 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "controlaba" and "controlan" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "controlaba vs controlaban". 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 #179,892 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.