figuravsfigurabaTell them apart

Quick tell: figura is a noun, figuraba is a verb, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“figura” is a noun and “figuraba” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#1,481
“figura” frequency rank
#22,364
“figuraba” frequency rank
23845
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature figura figuraba
Definition Forma exterior característica de un cuerpo, que la distingue de otro. Primera persona del singular (yo) del pretérito imperfecto de indicativo de figurar.

Where the eye mixes figura and figuraba

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence. figura runs 6 letters (CVCVCV) against figuraba's 8 (CVCVCVCV) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.

6 ch
figura
8 ch
figuraba

Visual trap between figura and figuraba

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: figura is [fiˈɣ̞uɾa] while figuraba is [fiɣ̞uˈɾaβ̞a]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 2 extra letter(s) - “figura” sits inside “figuraba”, and the parts of speech differ too (noun vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 23845, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

figura is recorded at frequency rank #1,481, classified as anoun, pronounced [fiˈɣ̞uɾa]. figuraba is at rank #22,364, tagged as averb, pronounced [fiɣ̞uˈɾaβ̞a].

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 23845, this pair ranks #243,902 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of figura vs figuraba

Shared letters: afgiru. Private to "figura": -. Private to "figuraba": b.

"figura" · 6 letters · shape CVCVCV  ·  "figuraba" · 8 letters · shape CVCVCVCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • figura ← ffigura · fgiura · figgura · figrua · figuar · figurra · fiugra · ifgura
  • figuraba ← ffiguraba · fgiuraba · figguraba · figruaba · figuarba · figuraab · figurabba · figurava

Frequently Asked Questions

Do "figura" and "figuraba" mean the same thing in a sentence?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "figura" is a noun and "figuraba" a verb, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
In ordinary Spanish text, does "figura" or "figuraba" show up more?
"figura" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #1,481 in our Spanish list, against #22,364 for "figuraba". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

Useful next steps

Eye-level mix-up between "figura" and "figuraba" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.

  • Full dictionary entry for "figura" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "figuraba" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #243,902 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "figura" and "figuraba" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "figuraba vs figurado". 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 #243,902 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