imaginabavsimaginarWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#11,794
“imaginaba” frequency rank
#3,189
“imaginar” frequency rank
14983
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature imaginaba imaginar
Definition Primera persona del singular (yo) del pretérito imperfecto de indicativo de imaginar o de imaginarse. Representar en la mente algo que no existe o que no está presente.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set imaginaba and imaginar apart are highlighted. They share 7 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

9 ch
imaginaba
8 ch
imaginar

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. imaginaba ([imaxiˈnaβ̞a]) and imaginar ([imaxiˈnaɾ]) 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 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 14983, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

imaginaba is recorded at frequency rank #11,794, classified as averb, pronounced [imaxiˈnaβ̞a]. imaginar is at rank #3,189, tagged as averb, pronounced [imaxiˈnaɾ].

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 14983, this pair ranks #281,956 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of imaginaba vs imaginar

Shared letters: agimn. Private to "imaginaba": b. Private to "imaginar": r.

"imaginaba" · 9 letters · shape VCVCVCVCV  ·  "imaginar" · 8 letters · shape VCVCVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • imaginabaiamginaba · imagginaba · imagianba · imaginaab · imaginabba · imaginava · imaginbaa · imaginnaba
  • imaginariamginar · imagginar · imagianr · imaginarr · imaginnar · imaginra · imagniar · imaignar

Frequency comparison

imaginaba#11,794
imaginar#3,189

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "imaginaba" and "imaginar" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([imaxiˈnaβ̞a] versus [imaxiˈnaɾ]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "imaginaba" or "imaginar"?
"imaginar" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #3,189 in our Spanish list, against #11,794 for "imaginaba". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering imaginaba vs imaginar

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 “imaginaba” 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