durabavsdurableConfusable pair

Quick tell: duraba is a verb, durable is an adjective, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“duraba” is a verb and “durable” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#31,323
“duraba” frequency rank
#46,507
“durable” frequency rank
77830
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature duraba durable
Definition Primera persona del singular (yo) del pretérito imperfecto de indicativo de durar. Que dura o puede subsistir por bastante tiempo.

Where the eye mixes duraba and durable

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence.

6 ch
duraba
7 ch
durable

Visual trap between duraba and durable

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: duraba is [d̪uˈɾaβ̞a] while durable is [d̪uˈɾaβ̞le]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 77830, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

duraba is recorded at frequency rank #31,323, classified as averb, pronounced [d̪uˈɾaβ̞a]. durable is at rank #46,507, tagged as anadj, pronounced [d̪uˈɾaβ̞le].

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 77830, this pair ranks #15,344 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of duraba vs durable

Shared letters: abdru. Private to "duraba": -. Private to "durable": el.

"duraba" · 6 letters · shape CVCVCV  ·  "durable" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • durabadduraba · druaba · duarba · duraab · durabba · durava · durbaa · durraba
  • durableddurable · druable · duarble · durabble · durabel · durablle · duralbe · duravle

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "duraba" and "durable" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "duraba" is a verb and "durable" an adjective, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "duraba" or "durable"?
"duraba" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #31,323 in our Spanish list, against #46,507 for "durable". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

After this comparison

Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.

  • Full dictionary entry for "duraba" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "durable" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #15,344 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "duraba" and "durable" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "duraban vs durable". 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 #15,344 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