Which to use
“descansa” and “descansaba” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #7,844
- “descansa” frequency rank
- #48,939
- “descansaba” frequency rank
- 56783
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | descansa | descansaba |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Tercera persona del singular (él, ella, ello; usted, 2.ª persona) del presente de indicativo de descansar. | Primera persona del singular (yo) del pretérito imperfecto de indicativo de descansar. |
Where the eye mixes descansa and descansaba
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 8 letters in sequence. descansa runs 8 letters (CVCCVCCV) against descansaba's 10 (CVCCVCCVCV) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Look-alike desk: descansa vs descansaba
A purely visual mix-up. descansa ([d̪esˈkãnsa]) and descansaba ([d̪eskãnˈsaβ̞a]) 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 2 extra letter(s) - “descansa” sits inside “descansaba”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 56783, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
descansa is recorded at frequency rank #7,844, classified as averb, pronounced [d̪esˈkãnsa]. descansaba is at rank #48,939, tagged as averb, pronounced [d̪eskãnˈsaβ̞a].
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 56783, this pair ranks #73,142 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of descansa vs descansaba
Shared letters: acdens. Private to "descansa": -. Private to "descansaba": b.
"descansa" · 8 letters · shape CVCCVCCV · "descansaba" · 10 letters · shape CVCCVCCVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
- descansa ← ddescansa · decsansa · desacnsa · descanas · descannsa · descanssa · descasna · desccansa
- descansaba ← ddescansaba · decsansaba · desacnsaba · descanasba · descannsaba · descansaab · descansabba · descansava
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "descansa" and "descansaba" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "descansa" or "descansaba"?
After this comparison
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "descansa" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "descansaba" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #73,142 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "descansa" and "descansaba" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "descansaba vs descansado". 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 #73,142 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.