Which to use
“extrañaba” and “extrañar” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #23,781
- “extrañaba” frequency rank
- #8,382
- “extrañar” frequency rank
- 32163
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | extrañaba | extrañar |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Primera persona del singular (yo) del pretérito imperfecto de indicativo de extrañar o de extrañarse. | Apartar, privar a alguno del trato y comunicación que se tenía con él. |
Where the eye mixes extrañaba and extrañar
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence. extrañaba runs 9 letters (VCCCVCVCV) against extrañar'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 extrañar
A purely visual mix-up. extrañaba ([ekst̪ɾaˈɲaβ̞a]) and extrañar ([ekst̪ɾaˈɲaɾ]) 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 32163, 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]. extrañar is at rank #8,382, tagged as averb, pronounced [ekst̪ɾaˈɲaɾ].
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 32163, this pair ranks #203,433 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of extrañaba vs extrañar
Shared letters: aertxñ. Private to "extrañaba": b. Private to "extrañar": -.
"extrañaba" · 9 letters · shape VCCCVCVCV · "extrañar" · 8 letters · shape VCCCVCVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "extrañaba" for "extrañar" ever safe?
Which is more common, "extrañaba" or "extrañar"?
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 "extrañaba" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "extrañar" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #203,433 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "extrañaba" and "extrañar" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "entrenaba vs extrañaba". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #203,433 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.