Which to use
“faltaba” and “faltar” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #6,303
- “faltaba” frequency rank
- #7,023
- “faltar” frequency rank
- 13326
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | faltaba | faltar |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Primera persona del singular (yo) del pretérito imperfecto de indicativo de faltar. | No estar en un sitio. |
Where the eye mixes faltaba and faltar
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence. faltaba runs 7 letters (CVCCVCV) against faltar's 6 (CVCCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Look-alike desk: faltaba vs faltar
A purely visual mix-up. faltaba ([fal̪ˈt̪aβ̞a]) and faltar ([fal̪ˈt̪aɾ]) 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 13326, 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]. faltar is at rank #7,023, tagged as averb, pronounced [fal̪ˈt̪aɾ].
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 13326, this pair ranks #288,284 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of faltaba vs faltar
Shared letters: aflt. Private to "faltaba": b. Private to "faltar": r.
"faltaba" · 7 letters · shape CVCCVCV · "faltar" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "faltaba" and "faltar" mean the same thing in a sentence?
In ordinary Spanish text, does "faltaba" or "faltar" show up more?
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 "faltaba" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "faltar" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #288,284 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "faltaba" and "faltar" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "falsear vs faltar". 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 #288,284 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.