cruzabavscruzabanTell them apart

Which to use

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

#27,169
“cruzaba” frequency rank
#38,032
“cruzaban” frequency rank
65201
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature cruzaba cruzaban
Definition Primera persona del singular (yo) del pretérito imperfecto de indicativo de cruzar. Tercera persona del plural (ellos, ellas; ustedes, 2.ª persona) del pretérito imperfecto de indicativo de cruzar.

Where the eye mixes cruzaba and cruzaban

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence. cruzaba runs 7 letters (CCVCVCV) against cruzaban's 8 (CCVCVCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.

7 ch
cruzaba
8 ch
cruzaban

Why the eye confuses cruzaba with cruzaban

A purely visual mix-up. cruzaba ([kɾuˈsaβ̞a]) and cruzaban ([kɾuˈsaβ̞ãn]) 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) - “cruzaba” sits inside “cruzaban”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 65201, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

cruzaba is recorded at frequency rank #27,169, classified as averb, pronounced [kɾuˈsaβ̞a]. cruzaban is at rank #38,032, tagged as averb, pronounced [kɾuˈsaβ̞ãn].

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 65201, this pair ranks #43,350 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of cruzaba vs cruzaban

Shared letters: abcruz. Private to "cruzaba": -. Private to "cruzaban": n.

"cruzaba" · 7 letters · shape CCVCVCV  ·  "cruzaban" · 8 letters · shape CCVCVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • cruzabaccruzaba · crruzaba · cruazba · cruzaab · cruzabba · cruzava · cruzbaa · cruzzaba
  • cruzabanccruzaban · crruzaban · cruazban · cruzaabn · cruzabann · cruzabban · cruzabna · cruzavan

Frequently Asked Questions

Is swapping "cruzaba" for "cruzaban" ever safe?
No. They are said differently ([kɾuˈsaβ̞a] versus [kɾuˈsaβ̞ãn]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "cruzaba" or "cruzaban"?
"cruzaba" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #27,169 in our Spanish list, against #38,032 for "cruzaban". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

What to do next

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

  • Full dictionary entry for "cruzaba" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "cruzaban" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #43,350 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "cruzaba" and "cruzaban" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "creaban vs cruzaban". 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 #43,350 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