Which to use
“empezaba” and “empezaban” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #10,328
- “empezaba” frequency rank
- #24,136
- “empezaban” frequency rank
- 34464
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | empezaba | empezaban |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Primera persona del singular (yo) del pretérito imperfecto de indicativo de empezar. | Tercera persona del plural (ellos, ellas; ustedes, 2.ª persona) del pretérito imperfecto de indicativo de empezar. |
Where the eye mixes empezaba and empezaban
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 8 letters in sequence. empezaba runs 8 letters (VCCVCVCV) against empezaban's 9 (VCCVCVCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Visual trap between empezaba and empezaban
A purely visual mix-up. empezaba ([ẽmpeˈsaβ̞a]) and empezaban ([ẽmpeˈsaβ̞ãn]) 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) - “empezaba” sits inside “empezaban”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 34464, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
empezaba is recorded at frequency rank #10,328, classified as averb, pronounced [ẽmpeˈsaβ̞a]. empezaban is at rank #24,136, tagged as averb, pronounced [ẽmpeˈsaβ̞ãn].
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 34464, this pair ranks #191,307 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of empezaba vs empezaban
Shared letters: abempz. Private to "empezaba": -. Private to "empezaban": n.
"empezaba" · 8 letters · shape VCCVCVCV · "empezaban" · 9 letters · shape VCCVCVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "empezaba" for "empezaban" ever safe?
In ordinary Spanish text, does "empezaba" or "empezaban" show up more?
What to do next
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "empezaba" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "empezaban" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #191,307 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "empezaba" and "empezaban" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "empezaban vs empleaban". 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 #191,307 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.