estimabavsestimarConfusable pair

Which to use

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

#36,031
“estimaba” frequency rank
#18,246
“estimar” frequency rank
54277
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature estimaba estimar
Definition Primera persona del singular (yo) del pretérito imperfecto de indicativo de estimar. Calcular el valor aproximado de algo.

Where the eye mixes estimaba and estimar

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

8 ch
estimaba
7 ch
estimar

Visual trap between estimaba and estimar

A purely visual mix-up. estimaba ([est̪iˈmaβ̞a]) and estimar ([est̪iˈmaɾ]) 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 54277, 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]. estimar is at rank #18,246, tagged as averb, pronounced [est̪iˈmaɾ].

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 54277, this pair ranks #84,050 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of estimaba vs estimar

Shared letters: aeimst. Private to "estimaba": b. Private to "estimar": r.

"estimaba" · 8 letters · shape VCCVCVCV  ·  "estimar" · 7 letters · shape VCCVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • estimabaesitmaba · esstimaba · estiamba · estimaab · estimabba · estimava · estimbaa · estimmaba
  • estimaresitmar · esstimar · estiamr · estimarr · estimmar · estimra · estmiar · esttimar

Frequently Asked Questions

Is swapping "estimaba" for "estimar" ever safe?
No. They are said differently ([est̪iˈmaβ̞a] versus [est̪iˈmaɾ]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "estimaba" or "estimar"?
"estimar" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #18,246 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.

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 "estimaba" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "estimar" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #84,050 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "estimaba" and "estimar" 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 #84,050 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