Which to use
“fijaba” and “fíjate” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #46,566
- “fijaba” frequency rank
- #9,126
- “fíjate” frequency rank
- 55692
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | fijaba | fíjate |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Primera persona del singular (yo) del pretérito imperfecto de indicativo de fijar o de fijarse. | Segunda persona del singular (tú) del imperativo afirmativo de fijarse (con el pronombre enclítico). |
Where the eye mixes fijaba and fíjate
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence. fijaba and fíjate follow the identical consonant-vowel pattern (CVCVCV). Same shape at a glance is often the real trap, independent of shared letters.
Why the eye confuses fijaba with fíjate
A purely visual mix-up. fijaba ([fiˈxaβ̞a]) and fíjate ([ˈfixat̪e]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 3 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 55692, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
fijaba is recorded at frequency rank #46,566, classified as averb, pronounced [fiˈxaβ̞a]. fíjate is at rank #9,126, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈfixat̪e].
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 55692, this pair ranks #77,790 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of fijaba vs fíjate
Shared letters: afj. Private to "fijaba": bi. Private to "fíjate": etí.
"fijaba" · 6 letters · shape CVCVCV · "fíjate" · 6 letters · shape CVCVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
- fijaba ← ffijaba · fiajba · fijaab · fijabba · fijava · fijbaa · fijjaba · fjiaba
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "fijaba" and "fíjate" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Frequency check: "fijaba" vs "fíjate" - which ranks higher?
What to do next
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "fijaba" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "fíjate" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #77,790 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "fijaba" and "fíjate" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "fijaba vs fijará". 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 #77,790 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.