lanzabavslavabaConfusable pair

Which to use

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

#29,715
“lanzaba” frequency rank
#41,455
“lavaba” frequency rank
71170
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature lanzaba lavaba
Definition Primera persona del singular (yo) del pretérito imperfecto de indicativo de lanzar o de lanzarse. Primera persona del singular (yo) del pretérito imperfecto de indicativo de lavar.

Where the eye mixes lanzaba and lavaba

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence.

7 ch
lanzaba
6 ch
lavaba

Visual trap between lanzaba and lavaba

A purely visual mix-up. lanzaba ([lãnˈsaβ̞a]) and lavaba ([laˈβ̞aβ̞a]) 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 71170, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

lanzaba is recorded at frequency rank #29,715, classified as averb, pronounced [lãnˈsaβ̞a]. lavaba is at rank #41,455, tagged as averb, pronounced [laˈβ̞aβ̞a].

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 71170, this pair ranks #28,071 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of lanzaba vs lavaba

Shared letters: abl. Private to "lanzaba": nz. Private to "lavaba": v.

"lanzaba" · 7 letters · shape CVCCVCV  ·  "lavaba" · 6 letters · shape CVCVCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • lanzabaalnzaba · lanazba · lannzaba · lanzaab · lanzabba · lanzava · lanzbaa · lanzzaba
  • lavabaalvaba · laavba · lababa · lavaab · lavabba · lavava · lavbaa · lavvaba

Frequently Asked Questions

Do "lanzaba" and "lavaba" mean the same thing in a sentence?
No. They are said differently ([lãnˈsaβ̞a] versus [laˈβ̞aβ̞a]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Frequency check: "lanzaba" vs "lavaba" - which ranks higher?
"lanzaba" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #29,715 in our Spanish list, against #41,455 for "lavaba". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

After this comparison

Eye-level mix-up between "lanzaba" and "lavaba" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.

  • Full dictionary entry for "lanzaba" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "lavaba" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #28,071 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "lanzaba" and "lavaba" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "lasaña vs lavaba". 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 #28,071 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list