Which to use
“gobernaba” and “gobernaban” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #25,289
- “gobernaba” frequency rank
- #43,040
- “gobernaban” frequency rank
- 68329
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | gobernaba | gobernaban |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Primera persona del singular (yo) del pretérito imperfecto de indicativo de gobernar o de gobernarse. | Tercera persona del plural (ellos, ellas; ustedes, 2.ª persona) del pretérito imperfecto de indicativo de gobernar. |
Where the eye mixes gobernaba and gobernaban
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 9 letters in sequence. gobernaba runs 9 letters (CVCVCCVCV) against gobernaban's 10 (CVCVCCVCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses gobernaba with gobernaban
A purely visual mix-up. gobernaba ([goβ̞eɾˈnaβ̞a]) and gobernaban ([goβ̞eɾˈnaβ̞ãn]) 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) - “gobernaba” sits inside “gobernaban”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 68329, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
gobernaba is recorded at frequency rank #25,289, classified as averb, pronounced [goβ̞eɾˈnaβ̞a]. gobernaban is at rank #43,040, tagged as averb, pronounced [goβ̞eɾˈnaβ̞ãn].
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 68329, this pair ranks #34,791 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of gobernaba vs gobernaban
Shared letters: abegnor. Private to "gobernaba": -. Private to "gobernaban": -.
"gobernaba" · 9 letters · shape CVCVCCVCV · "gobernaban" · 10 letters · shape CVCVCCVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- gobernaba ← gboernaba · ggobernaba · gobbernaba · gobenraba · goberanba · gobernaab · gobernabba · gobernbaa
- gobernaban ← gboernaban · ggobernaban · gobbernaban · gobenraban · goberanban · gobernaabn · gobernabann · gobernabban
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "gobernaba" for "gobernaban" ever safe?
Frequency check: "gobernaba" vs "gobernaban" - 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 "gobernaba" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "gobernaban" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #34,791 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "gobernaba" and "gobernaban" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "gobernaban vs gobernará". 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 #34,791 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.