Which to use
“gustaban” and “gustan” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #14,606
- “gustaban” frequency rank
- #1,547
- “gustan” frequency rank
- 16153
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | gustaban | gustan |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Tercera persona del plural (ellos, ellas; ustedes, 2.ª persona) del pretérito imperfecto de indicativo de gustar. | Tercera persona del plural (ellos, ellas; ustedes, 2.ª persona) del presente de indicativo de gustar. |
Where the eye mixes gustaban and gustan
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence. gustaban runs 8 letters (CVCCVCVC) against gustan's 6 (CVCCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses gustaban with gustan
A purely visual mix-up. gustaban ([gusˈt̪aβ̞ãn]) and gustan ([ˈgust̪ãn]) 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 2 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 16153, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
gustaban is recorded at frequency rank #14,606, classified as averb, pronounced [gusˈt̪aβ̞ãn]. gustan is at rank #1,547, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈgust̪ãn].
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 16153, this pair ranks #277,312 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of gustaban vs gustan
Shared letters: agnstu. Private to "gustaban": b. Private to "gustan": -.
"gustaban" · 8 letters · shape CVCCVCVC · "gustan" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "gustaban" and "gustan" be used interchangeably?
In ordinary Spanish text, does "gustaban" or "gustan" show up more?
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 "gustaban" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "gustan" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #277,312 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "gustaban" and "gustan" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "gustaban vs gustabas". 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 #277,312 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.