faltabavsfaltanConfusable pair

Which to use

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

#6,303
“faltaba” frequency rank
#3,323
“faltan” frequency rank
9626
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

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

Where the eye mixes faltaba and faltan

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence. faltaba runs 7 letters (CVCCVCV) against faltan's 6 (CVCCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.

7 ch
faltaba
6 ch
faltan

Look-alike desk: faltaba vs faltan

A purely visual mix-up. faltaba ([fal̪ˈt̪aβ̞a]) and faltan ([ˈfal̪t̪ãn]) 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 9626, 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]. faltan is at rank #3,323, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈfal̪t̪ãn].

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 9626, this pair ranks #301,360 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of faltaba vs faltan

Shared letters: aflt. Private to "faltaba": b. Private to "faltan": n.

"faltaba" · 7 letters · shape CVCCVCV  ·  "faltan" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • faltaba ← afltaba · falatba · falltaba · faltaab · faltabba · faltava · faltbaa · falttaba
  • faltan ← afltan · falatn · falltan · faltann · faltna · falttan · fatlan · ffaltan

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "faltaba" and "faltan" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([fal̪ˈt̪aβ̞a] versus [ˈfal̪t̪ãn]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Frequency check: "faltaba" vs "faltan" - which ranks higher?
"faltan" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #3,323 in our Spanish list, against #6,303 for "faltaba". 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 "faltan" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #301,360 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "faltaba" and "faltan" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "fallaba vs faltaba". 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 #301,360 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