Which to use
“funcionaba” and “funcionaban” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #11,583
- “funcionaba” frequency rank
- #24,161
- “funcionaban” frequency rank
- 35744
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | funcionaba | funcionaban |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Primera persona del singular (yo) del pretérito imperfecto de indicativo de funcionar. | Tercera persona del plural (ellos, ellas; ustedes, 2.ª persona) del pretérito imperfecto de indicativo de funcionar. |
Where the eye mixes funcionaba and funcionaban
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 10 letters in sequence.
Visual trap between funcionaba and funcionaban
A purely visual mix-up. funcionaba ([fũnsjoˈnaβ̞a]) and funcionaban ([fũnsjoˈnaβ̞ãn]) 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) - “funcionaba” sits inside “funcionaban”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 35744, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
funcionaba is recorded at frequency rank #11,583, classified as averb, pronounced [fũnsjoˈnaβ̞a]. funcionaban is at rank #24,161, tagged as averb, pronounced [fũnsjoˈnaβ̞ãn].
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 35744, this pair ranks #184,405 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of funcionaba vs funcionaban
Shared letters: abcfinou. Private to "funcionaba": -. Private to "funcionaban": -.
"funcionaba" · 10 letters · shape CVCCVVCVCV · "funcionaban" · 11 letters · shape CVCCVVCVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- funcionaba ← ffuncionaba · fnucionaba · fucnionaba · funccionaba · funcinoaba · funcioanba · funcionaab · funcionabba
- funcionaban ← ffuncionaban · fnucionaban · fucnionaban · funccionaban · funcinoaban · funcioanban · funcionaabn · funcionabann
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "funcionaba" for "funcionaban" ever safe?
In ordinary Spanish text, does "funcionaba" or "funcionaban" 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 "funcionaba" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "funcionaban" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #184,405 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "funcionaba" and "funcionaban" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "funcionaban vs funcionarán". 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 #184,405 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.