faltabavsfaltabanWhich spelling fits?

Which to use

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

#6,303
“faltaba” frequency rank
#16,337
“faltaban” frequency rank
22640
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature faltaba faltaban
Definition Primera persona del singular (yo) del pretérito imperfecto de indicativo de faltar. Tercera persona del plural (ellos, ellas; ustedes, 2.ª persona) del pretérito imperfecto de indicativo de faltar.

Where the eye mixes faltaba and faltaban

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence. faltaba runs 7 letters (CVCCVCV) against faltaban's 8 (CVCCVCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.

7 ch
faltaba
8 ch
faltaban

Look-alike desk: faltaba vs faltaban

A purely visual mix-up. faltaba ([fal̪ˈt̪aβ̞a]) and faltaban ([fal̪ˈt̪aβ̞ãn]) 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) - “faltaba” sits inside “faltaban”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 22640, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

faltaba is recorded at frequency rank #6,303, classified as averb, pronounced [fal̪ˈt̪aβ̞a]. faltaban is at rank #16,337, tagged as averb, pronounced [fal̪ˈt̪aβ̞ãn].

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 22640, this pair ranks #249,403 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of faltaba vs faltaban

Shared letters: abflt. Private to "faltaba": -. Private to "faltaban": n.

"faltaba" · 7 letters · shape CVCCVCV  ·  "faltaban" · 8 letters · shape CVCCVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • faltaba ← afltaba · falatba · falltaba · faltaab · faltabba · faltava · faltbaa · falttaba
  • faltaban ← afltaban · falatban · falltaban · faltaabn · faltabann · faltabban · faltabna · faltavan

Frequently Asked Questions

Do "faltaba" and "faltaban" mean the same thing in a sentence?
No. They are said differently ([fal̪ˈt̪aβ̞a] versus [fal̪ˈt̪aβ̞ãn]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "faltaba" or "faltaban"?
"faltaba" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #6,303 in our Spanish list, against #16,337 for "faltaban". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Useful next steps

Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.

  • Full dictionary entry for "faltaba" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "faltaban" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #249,403 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "faltaba" and "faltaban" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "fallaba vs faltaban". 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 #249,403 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