Which to use
“enseñaba” and “enseñaban” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #20,018
- “enseñaba” frequency rank
- #39,730
- “enseñaban” frequency rank
- 59748
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | enseñaba | enseñaban |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Primera persona del singular (yo) del pretérito imperfecto de indicativo de enseñar o de enseñarse. | Tercera persona del plural (ellos, ellas; ustedes, 2.ª persona) del pretérito imperfecto de indicativo de enseñar. |
Where the eye mixes enseñaba and enseñaban
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 8 letters in sequence. enseñaba runs 8 letters (VCCVCVCV) against enseñaban's 9 (VCCVCVCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Look-alike desk: enseñaba vs enseñaban
A purely visual mix-up. enseñaba ([ẽnseˈɲaβ̞a]) and enseñaban ([ẽnseˈɲaβ̞ãn]) 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) - “enseñaba” sits inside “enseñaban”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 59748, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
enseñaba is recorded at frequency rank #20,018, classified as averb, pronounced [ẽnseˈɲaβ̞a]. enseñaban is at rank #39,730, tagged as averb, pronounced [ẽnseˈɲaβ̞ãn].
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 59748, this pair ranks #61,465 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of enseñaba vs enseñaban
Shared letters: abensñ. Private to "enseñaba": -. Private to "enseñaban": -.
"enseñaba" · 8 letters · shape VCCVCVCV · "enseñaban" · 9 letters · shape VCCVCVCVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "enseñaba" for "enseñaban" ever safe?
Frequency check: "enseñaba" vs "enseñaban" - which ranks higher?
After this comparison
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "enseñaba" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "enseñaban" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #61,465 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "enseñaba" and "enseñaban" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "enseñaba vs enteraba". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #61,465 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.