esperabavsesperabasWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#2,209
“esperaba” frequency rank
#15,608
“esperabas” frequency rank
17817
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature esperaba esperabas
Definition Primera persona del singular (yo) del pretérito imperfecto de indicativo de esperar o de esperarse. Segunda persona del singular (tú, vos) del pretérito imperfecto de indicativo de esperar.

Where the spellings diverge

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

8 ch
esperaba
9 ch
esperabas

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. esperaba ([espeˈɾaβ̞a]) and esperabas ([espeˈɾaβ̞as]) 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) - “esperaba” sits inside “esperabas”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 17817, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

esperaba is recorded at frequency rank #2,209, classified as averb, pronounced [espeˈɾaβ̞a]. esperabas is at rank #15,608, tagged as averb, pronounced [espeˈɾaβ̞as].

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 17817, this pair ranks #270,571 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of esperaba vs esperabas

Shared letters: abeprs. Private to "esperaba": -. Private to "esperabas": -.

"esperaba" · 8 letters · shape VCCVCVCV  ·  "esperabas" · 9 letters · shape VCCVCVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • esperabaepseraba · esepraba · espearba · esperaab · esperabba · esperava · esperbaa · esperraba
  • esperabasepserabas · eseprabas · espearbas · esperaabs · esperabass · esperabbas · esperabsa · esperavas

Frequency comparison

esperaba#2,209
esperabas#15,608

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "esperaba" and "esperabas" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([espeˈɾaβ̞a] versus [espeˈɾaβ̞as]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "esperaba" or "esperabas"?
"esperaba" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #2,209 in our Spanish list, against #15,608 for "esperabas". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering esperaba vs esperabas

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 “esperaba” 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