empleabavsempleabanWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#33,105
“empleaba” frequency rank
#37,054
“empleaban” frequency rank
70159
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature empleaba empleaban
Definition Primera persona del singular (yo) del pretérito imperfecto de indicativo de emplear o de emplearse. Tercera persona del plural (ellos, ellas; ustedes, 2.ª persona) del pretérito imperfecto de indicativo de emplear.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set empleaba and empleaban apart are highlighted. They share 8 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

8 ch
empleaba
9 ch
empleaban

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. empleaba ([ẽmpleˈaβ̞a]) and empleaban ([ẽmpleˈaβ̞ãn]) 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) - “empleaba” sits inside “empleaban”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 70159, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

empleaba is recorded at frequency rank #33,105, classified as averb, pronounced [ẽmpleˈaβ̞a]. empleaban is at rank #37,054, tagged as averb, pronounced [ẽmpleˈaβ̞ãn].

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 70159, this pair ranks #30,332 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of empleaba vs empleaban

Shared letters: abelmp. Private to "empleaba": -. Private to "empleaban": n.

"empleaba" · 8 letters · shape VCCCVVCV  ·  "empleaban" · 9 letters · shape VCCCVVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • empleabaemlpeaba · emmpleaba · empelaba · emplaeba · empleaab · empleabba · empleava · emplebaa
  • empleabanemlpeaban · emmpleaban · empelaban · emplaeban · empleaabn · empleabann · empleabban · empleabna

Frequency comparison

empleaba#33,105
empleaban#37,054

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "empleaba" and "empleaban" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ẽmpleˈaβ̞a] versus [ẽmpleˈaβ̞ãn]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "empleaba" or "empleaban"?
"empleaba" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #33,105 in our Spanish list, against #37,054 for "empleaban". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering empleaba vs empleaban

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “empleaba” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list