Which to use
“destacaba” and “destacan” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #26,404
- “destacaba” frequency rank
- #5,821
- “destacan” frequency rank
- 32225
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | destacaba | destacan |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Primera persona del singular (yo) del pretérito imperfecto de indicativo de destacar. | Tercera persona del plural (ellos, ellas; ustedes, 2.ª persona) del presente de indicativo de destacar. |
Where the eye mixes destacaba and destacan
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence. destacaba runs 9 letters (CVCCVCVCV) against destacan's 8 (CVCCVCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Visual trap between destacaba and destacan
A purely visual mix-up. destacaba ([d̪est̪aˈkaβ̞a]) and destacan ([d̪esˈt̪akãn]) 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 32225, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
destacaba is recorded at frequency rank #26,404, classified as averb, pronounced [d̪est̪aˈkaβ̞a]. destacan is at rank #5,821, tagged as averb, pronounced [d̪esˈt̪akãn].
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 32225, this pair ranks #203,115 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of destacaba vs destacan
Shared letters: acdest. Private to "destacaba": b. Private to "destacan": n.
"destacaba" · 9 letters · shape CVCCVCVCV · "destacan" · 8 letters · shape CVCCVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "destacaba" for "destacan" ever safe?
In ordinary Spanish text, does "destacaba" or "destacan" show up more?
What to do next
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "destacaba" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "destacan" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #203,115 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "destacaba" and "destacan" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "destacaba vs destacaban". 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 #203,115 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.