Which to use
“encontraba” and “encontraban” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #2,827
- “encontraba” frequency rank
- #5,720
- “encontraban” frequency rank
- 8547
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | encontraba | encontraban |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Primera persona del singular (yo) del pretérito imperfecto de indicativo de encontrar o de encontrarse. | Tercera persona del plural (ellos, ellas; ustedes, 2.ª persona) del pretérito imperfecto de indicativo de encontrar o de encontrarse. |
Where the eye mixes encontraba and encontraban
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 10 letters in sequence. encontraba runs 10 letters (VCCVCCCVCV) against encontraban's 11 (VCCVCCCVCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Look-alike desk: encontraba vs encontraban
A purely visual mix-up. encontraba ([ẽŋkõn̪ˈt̪ɾaβ̞a]) and encontraban ([ẽŋkõn̪ˈt̪ɾaβ̞ãn]) 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) - “encontraba” sits inside “encontraban”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 8547, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
encontraba is recorded at frequency rank #2,827, classified as averb, pronounced [ẽŋkõn̪ˈt̪ɾaβ̞a]. encontraban is at rank #5,720, tagged as averb, pronounced [ẽŋkõn̪ˈt̪ɾaβ̞ãn].
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 8547, this pair ranks #304,670 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of encontraba vs encontraban
Shared letters: abcenort. Private to "encontraba": -. Private to "encontraban": -.
"encontraba" · 10 letters · shape VCCVCCCVCV · "encontraban" · 11 letters · shape VCCVCCCVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- encontraba ← ecnontraba · enccontraba · encnotraba · enconntraba · enconrtaba · encontarba · encontraab · encontrabba
- encontraban ← ecnontraban · enccontraban · encnotraban · enconntraban · enconrtaban · encontarban · encontraabn · encontrabann
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "encontraba" and "encontraban" be used interchangeably?
Frequency check: "encontraba" vs "encontraban" - which ranks higher?
What to do next
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "encontraba" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "encontraban" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #304,670 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "encontraba" and "encontraban" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "encantaban vs encontraban". 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 #304,670 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.