gastanvsgastarWhat's the difference?

Which to use

“gastan” and “gastar” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#13,919
“gastan” frequency rank
#5,210
“gastar” frequency rank
19129
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature gastan gastar
Definition Tercera persona del plural (ellos, ellas; ustedes, 2.ª persona) del presente de indicativo de gastar o de gastarse. Provocar el consumo, deterioro o destrucción de algo por el uso.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set gastan and gastar apart are highlighted. They share 5 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

6 ch
gastan
6 ch
gastar

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. gastan ([ˈgast̪ãn]) and gastar ([gasˈt̪aɾ]) 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 a single letter - n in “gastan” becomes r in “gastar”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 19129, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

gastan is recorded at frequency rank #13,919, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈgast̪ãn]. gastar is at rank #5,210, tagged as averb, pronounced [gasˈt̪aɾ].

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 19129, this pair ranks #265,083 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of gastan vs gastar

Shared letters: agst. Private to "gastan": n. Private to "gastar": r.

"gastan" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC  ·  "gastar" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • gastanagstan · gasatn · gasstan · gastann · gastna · gasttan · gatsan · ggastan
  • gastaragstar · gasatr · gasstar · gastarr · gastra · gasttar · gatsar · ggastar

Frequency comparison

gastan#13,919
gastar#5,210

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "gastan" and "gastar" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈgast̪ãn] versus [gasˈt̪aɾ]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "gastan" or "gastar"?
"gastar" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #5,210 in our Spanish list, against #13,919 for "gastan". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering gastan vs gastar

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “gastan” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list