Which to use
“cortaba” and “cortaban” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #29,567
- “cortaba” frequency rank
- #44,666
- “cortaban” frequency rank
- 74233
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | cortaba | cortaban |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Primera persona del singular (yo) del pretérito imperfecto de indicativo de cortar o de cortarse. | Tercera persona del plural (ellos, ellas; ustedes, 2.ª persona) del pretérito imperfecto de indicativo de cortar. |
Where the eye mixes cortaba and cortaban
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence. cortaba runs 7 letters (CVCCVCV) against cortaban's 8 (CVCCVCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses cortaba with cortaban
A purely visual mix-up. cortaba ([koɾˈt̪aβ̞a]) and cortaban ([koɾˈt̪aβ̞ãn]) 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 extra letter(s) - “cortaba” sits inside “cortaban”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 74233, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
cortaba is recorded at frequency rank #29,567, classified as averb, pronounced [koɾˈt̪aβ̞a]. cortaban is at rank #44,666, tagged as averb, pronounced [koɾˈt̪aβ̞ãn].
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 74233, this pair ranks #21,687 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of cortaba vs cortaban
Shared letters: abcort. Private to "cortaba": -. Private to "cortaban": n.
"cortaba" · 7 letters · shape CVCCVCV · "cortaban" · 8 letters · shape CVCCVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "cortaba" for "cortaban" ever safe?
Which is more common, "cortaba" or "cortaban"?
After this comparison
Eye-level mix-up between "cortaba" and "cortaban" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "cortaba" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "cortaban" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #21,687 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "cortaba" and "cortaban" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "cortaban vs creaban". 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 #21,687 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.