Which to use
“extrañaba” and “extrañan” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #23,781
- “extrañaba” frequency rank
- #36,041
- “extrañan” frequency rank
- 59822
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | extrañaba | extrañan |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Primera persona del singular (yo) del pretérito imperfecto de indicativo de extrañar o de extrañarse. | Tercera persona del plural (ellos, ellas; ustedes, 2.ª persona) del presente de indicativo de extrañar o de extrañarse. |
Where the eye mixes extrañaba and extrañan
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence. extrañaba runs 9 letters (VCCCVCVCV) against extrañan's 8 (VCCCVCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses extrañaba with extrañan
A purely visual mix-up. extrañaba ([ekst̪ɾaˈɲaβ̞a]) and extrañan ([eksˈt̪ɾaɲãn]) 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 59822, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
extrañaba is recorded at frequency rank #23,781, classified as averb, pronounced [ekst̪ɾaˈɲaβ̞a]. extrañan is at rank #36,041, tagged as averb, pronounced [eksˈt̪ɾaɲãn].
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 59822, this pair ranks #61,218 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of extrañaba vs extrañan
Shared letters: aertxñ. Private to "extrañaba": b. Private to "extrañan": n.
"extrañaba" · 9 letters · shape VCCCVCVCV · "extrañan" · 8 letters · shape VCCCVCVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "extrañaba" and "extrañan" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Frequency check: "extrañaba" vs "extrañan" - which ranks higher?
Useful next steps
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "extrañaba" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "extrañan" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #61,218 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "extrañaba" and "extrañan" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "estrenan vs extrañan". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #61,218 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.