Which to use
“formaba” and “formaban” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #13,048
- “formaba” frequency rank
- #12,157
- “formaban” frequency rank
- 25205
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | formaba | formaban |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Primera persona del singular (yo) del pretérito imperfecto de indicativo de formar o de formarse. | Tercera persona del plural (ellos, ellas; ustedes, 2.ª persona) del pretérito imperfecto de indicativo de formar o de formarse. |
Where the eye mixes formaba and formaban
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence.
Look-alike desk: formaba vs formaban
A purely visual mix-up. formaba ([foɾˈmaβ̞a]) and formaban ([foɾˈmaβ̞ãn]) 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) - “formaba” sits inside “formaban”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 25205, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
formaba is recorded at frequency rank #13,048, classified as averb, pronounced [foɾˈmaβ̞a]. formaban is at rank #12,157, tagged as averb, pronounced [foɾˈmaβ̞ãn].
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 25205, this pair ranks #237,504 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of formaba vs formaban
Shared letters: abfmor. Private to "formaba": -. Private to "formaban": n.
"formaba" · 7 letters · shape CVCCVCV · "formaban" · 8 letters · shape CVCCVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "formaba" and "formaban" be used interchangeably?
Frequency check: "formaba" vs "formaban" - which ranks higher?
After this comparison
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "formaba" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "formaban" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #237,504 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "formaba" and "formaban" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "formaba vs formaran". 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 #237,504 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.