limpiabavslimpiadoWhich spelling fits?

Which to use

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

#40,372
“limpiaba” frequency rank
#30,980
“limpiado” frequency rank
71352
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature limpiaba limpiado
Definition Primera persona del singular (yo) del pretérito imperfecto de indicativo de limpiar. Participio de limpiar.

Where the eye mixes limpiaba and limpiado

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence.

8 ch
limpiaba
8 ch
limpiado

Why the eye confuses limpiaba with limpiado

A purely visual mix-up. limpiaba ([lĩmˈpjaβ̞a]) and limpiado ([lĩmˈpjað̞o]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 71352, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

limpiaba is recorded at frequency rank #40,372, classified as averb, pronounced [lĩmˈpjaβ̞a]. limpiado is at rank #30,980, tagged as averb, pronounced [lĩmˈpjað̞o].

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 71352, this pair ranks #27,708 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of limpiaba vs limpiado

Shared letters: ailmp. Private to "limpiaba": b. Private to "limpiado": do.

"limpiaba" · 8 letters · shape CVCCVVCV  ·  "limpiado" · 8 letters · shape CVCCVVCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • limpiabailmpiaba · limipaba · limmpiaba · limpaiba · limpiaab · limpiabba · limpiava · limpibaa
  • limpiadoilmpiado · limipado · limmpiado · limpaido · limpiaddo · limpiaod · limpidao · limppiado

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "limpiaba" and "limpiado" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([lĩmˈpjaβ̞a] versus [lĩmˈpjað̞o]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Frequency check: "limpiaba" vs "limpiado" - which ranks higher?
"limpiado" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #30,980 in our Spanish list, against #40,372 for "limpiaba". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

What to do next

Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.

  • Full dictionary entry for "limpiaba" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "limpiado" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #27,708 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "limpiaba" and "limpiado" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "limpiado vs limpiaron". 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 #27,708 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