Which to use
“encabezaba” and “encabezan” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #41,327
- “encabezaba” frequency rank
- #37,582
- “encabezan” frequency rank
- 78909
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | encabezaba | encabezan |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Primera persona del singular (yo) del pretérito imperfecto de indicativo de encabezar. | Tercera persona del plural (ellos, ellas; ustedes, 2.ª persona) del presente de indicativo de encabezar. |
Where the eye mixes encabezaba and encabezan
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 8 letters in sequence. encabezaba runs 10 letters (VCCVCVCVCV) against encabezan's 9 (VCCVCVCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses encabezaba with encabezan
A purely visual mix-up. encabezaba ([ẽŋkaβ̞eˈsaβ̞a]) and encabezan ([ẽŋkaˈβ̞esãn]) 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 78909, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
encabezaba is recorded at frequency rank #41,327, classified as averb, pronounced [ẽŋkaβ̞eˈsaβ̞a]. encabezan is at rank #37,582, tagged as averb, pronounced [ẽŋkaˈβ̞esãn].
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 78909, this pair ranks #13,774 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of encabezaba vs encabezan
Shared letters: abcenz. Private to "encabezaba": -. Private to "encabezan": -.
"encabezaba" · 10 letters · shape VCCVCVCVCV · "encabezan" · 9 letters · shape VCCVCVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- encabezaba ← ecnabezaba · enacbezaba · encabbezaba · encabeazba · encabezaab · encabezabba · encabezbaa · encabezzaba
- encabezan ← ecnabezan · enacbezan · encabbezan · encabeazn · encabezann · encabezna · encabezzan · encabzean
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "encabezaba" for "encabezan" ever safe?
In ordinary Spanish text, does "encabezaba" or "encabezan" 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 "encabezaba" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "encabezan" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #13,774 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "encabezaba" and "encabezan" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "encabezaba vs encabezadas". 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 #13,774 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.