íbamosvsibasWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#7,942
“íbamos” frequency rank
#8,129
“ibas” frequency rank
16071
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature íbamos ibas
Definition Primera persona del plural (nosotros, nosotras) del pretérito imperfecto de indicativo de ir o de irse. Segunda persona del singular (tú, vos) del pretérito imperfecto de indicativo de ir o de irse.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set íbamos and ibas apart are highlighted. They share 3 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

6 ch
íbamos
4 ch
ibas

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. íbamos ([ˈiβ̞amos]) and ibas ([ˈiβ̞as]) 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 16071, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

íbamos is recorded at frequency rank #7,942, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈiβ̞amos]. ibas is at rank #8,129, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈiβ̞as].

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 16071, this pair ranks #277,610 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of íbamos vs ibas

Shared letters: abs. Private to "íbamos": moí. Private to "ibas": i.

"íbamos" · 6 letters · shape VCVCVC  ·  "ibas" · 4 letters · shape VCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • ibasiabs · ibass · ibbas · ibsa · ivas

Frequency comparison

íbamos#7,942
ibas#8,129

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "íbamos" and "ibas" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈiβ̞amos] versus [ˈiβ̞as]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "íbamos" or "ibas"?
"íbamos" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #7,942 in our Spanish list, against #8,129 for "ibas". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering íbamos vs ibas

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 “íbamos” 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