estimabavsestimadoWhich spelling fits?

Quick tell: estimaba is a verb, estimado is an adjective, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“estimaba” is a verb and “estimado” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#36,031
“estimaba” frequency rank
#5,000
“estimado” frequency rank
41031
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature estimaba estimado
Definition Primera persona del singular (yo) del pretérito imperfecto de indicativo de estimar. Destinatario de la estima de otra persona.

Where the eye mixes estimaba and estimado

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence.

8 ch
estimaba
8 ch
estimado

Visual trap between estimaba and estimado

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: estimaba is [est̪iˈmaβ̞a] while estimado is [est̪iˈmað̞o]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 41031, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

estimaba is recorded at frequency rank #36,031, classified as averb, pronounced [est̪iˈmaβ̞a]. estimado is at rank #5,000, tagged as anadj, pronounced [est̪iˈmað̞o].

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 41031, this pair ranks #155,866 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of estimaba vs estimado

Shared letters: aeimst. Private to "estimaba": b. Private to "estimado": do.

"estimaba" · 8 letters · shape VCCVCVCV  ·  "estimado" · 8 letters · shape VCCVCVCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • estimabaesitmaba · esstimaba · estiamba · estimaab · estimabba · estimava · estimbaa · estimmaba
  • estimadoesitmado · esstimado · estiamdo · estimaddo · estimaod · estimdao · estimmado · estmiado

Frequently Asked Questions

Do "estimaba" and "estimado" mean the same thing in a sentence?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "estimaba" is a verb and "estimado" an adjective, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "estimaba" or "estimado"?
"estimado" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #5,000 in our Spanish list, against #36,031 for "estimaba". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

What to do next

Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.

  • Full dictionary entry for "estimaba" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "estimado" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #155,866 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "estimaba" and "estimado" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "estimaba vs estirada". 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 #155,866 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