Which to use
“criticaba” and “criticaban” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #26,385
- “criticaba” frequency rank
- #32,589
- “criticaban” frequency rank
- 58974
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | criticaba | criticaban |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Primera persona del singular (yo) del pretérito imperfecto de indicativo de criticar. | Tercera persona del plural (ellos, ellas; ustedes, 2.ª persona) del pretérito imperfecto de indicativo de criticar. |
Where the eye mixes criticaba and criticaban
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 9 letters in sequence. criticaba runs 9 letters (CCVCVCVCV) against criticaban's 10 (CCVCVCVCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Visual trap between criticaba and criticaban
A purely visual mix-up. criticaba ([kɾit̪iˈkaβ̞a]) and criticaban ([kɾit̪iˈkaβ̞ãn]) 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) - “criticaba” sits inside “criticaban”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 58974, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
criticaba is recorded at frequency rank #26,385, classified as averb, pronounced [kɾit̪iˈkaβ̞a]. criticaban is at rank #32,589, tagged as averb, pronounced [kɾit̪iˈkaβ̞ãn].
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 58974, this pair ranks #64,408 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of criticaba vs criticaban
Shared letters: abcirt. Private to "criticaba": -. Private to "criticaban": n.
"criticaba" · 9 letters · shape CCVCVCVCV · "criticaban" · 10 letters · shape CCVCVCVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- criticaba ← ccriticaba · cirticaba · criitcaba · critciaba · critiacba · criticaab · criticabba · criticava
- criticaban ← ccriticaban · cirticaban · criitcaban · critciaban · critiacban · criticaabn · criticabann · criticabban
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "criticaba" for "criticaban" ever safe?
Which is more common, "criticaba" or "criticaban"?
Useful next steps
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "criticaba" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "criticaban" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #64,408 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "criticaba" and "criticaban" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "criticaba vs critical". 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 #64,408 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.