Which to use
“graban” and “grabar” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #21,691
- “graban” frequency rank
- #4,340
- “grabar” frequency rank
- 26031
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | graban | grabar |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Tercera persona del plural (ellos, ellas; ustedes, 2.ª persona) del presente de indicativo de grabar. | Labrar —en relieve o en hueco— sobre una superficie dura algún símbolo, señal, texto, figura o representación. |
Where the eye mixes graban and grabar
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence.
Visual trap between graban and grabar
A purely visual mix-up. graban ([ˈgɾaβ̞ãn]) and grabar ([gɾaˈβ̞aɾ]) 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 “graban” becomes r in “grabar”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 26031, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
graban is recorded at frequency rank #21,691, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈgɾaβ̞ãn]. grabar is at rank #4,340, tagged as averb, pronounced [gɾaˈβ̞aɾ].
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 26031, this pair ranks #233,652 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of graban vs grabar
Shared letters: abgr. Private to "graban": n. Private to "grabar": -.
"graban" · 6 letters · shape CCVCVC · "grabar" · 6 letters · shape CCVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "graban" for "grabar" ever safe?
Which is more common, "graban" or "grabar"?
After this comparison
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "graban" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "grabar" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #233,652 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "graban" and "grabar" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "gozaban vs graban". 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 #233,652 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.