encantabavsencontrabaWhich spelling fits?

Which to use

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

#15,604
“encantaba” frequency rank
#2,827
“encontraba” frequency rank
18431
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature encantaba encontraba
Definition Primera persona del singular (yo) del pretérito imperfecto de indicativo de encantar o de encantarse. Primera persona del singular (yo) del pretérito imperfecto de indicativo de encontrar o de encontrarse.

Where the eye mixes encantaba and encontraba

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 8 letters in sequence. encantaba runs 9 letters (VCCVCCVCV) against encontraba's 10 (VCCVCCCVCV) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.

9 ch
encantaba
10 ch
encontraba

Look-alike desk: encantaba vs encontraba

A purely visual mix-up. encantaba ([ẽŋkãn̪ˈt̪aβ̞a]) and encontraba ([ẽŋkõn̪ˈt̪ɾaβ̞a]) 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 18431, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

encantaba is recorded at frequency rank #15,604, classified as averb, pronounced [ẽŋkãn̪ˈt̪aβ̞a]. encontraba is at rank #2,827, tagged as averb, pronounced [ẽŋkõn̪ˈt̪ɾaβ̞a].

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 18431, this pair ranks #267,938 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of encantaba vs encontraba

Shared letters: abcent. Private to "encantaba": -. Private to "encontraba": or.

"encantaba" · 9 letters · shape VCCVCCVCV  ·  "encontraba" · 10 letters · shape VCCVCCCVCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • encantabaecnantaba · enacntaba · encanatba · encanntaba · encantaab · encantabba · encantava · encantbaa
  • encontrabaecnontraba · enccontraba · encnotraba · enconntraba · enconrtaba · encontarba · encontraab · encontrabba

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "encantaba" and "encontraba" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ẽŋkãn̪ˈt̪aβ̞a] versus [ẽŋkõn̪ˈt̪ɾaβ̞a]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
In ordinary Spanish text, does "encantaba" or "encontraba" show up more?
"encontraba" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #2,827 in our Spanish list, against #15,604 for "encantaba". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

What to do next

Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.

  • Full dictionary entry for "encantaba" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "encontraba" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #267,938 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "encantaba" and "encontraba" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "encantaba vs encantaban". 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 #267,938 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