Which to use
“llamaba” and “llamaban” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #4,091
- “llamaba” frequency rank
- #9,144
- “llamaban” frequency rank
- 13235
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | llamaba | llamaban |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Primera persona del singular (yo) del pretérito imperfecto de indicativo de llamar o de llamarse. | Tercera persona del plural (ellos, ellas; ustedes, 2.ª persona) del pretérito imperfecto de indicativo de llamar. |
Where the eye mixes llamaba and llamaban
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence. llamaba runs 7 letters (CCVCVCV) against llamaban's 8 (CCVCVCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses llamaba with llamaban
A purely visual mix-up. llamaba ([ʝaˈmaβ̞a]) and llamaban ([ʝaˈmaβ̞ãn]) 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 extra letter(s) - “llamaba” sits inside “llamaban”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 13235, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
llamaba is recorded at frequency rank #4,091, classified as averb, pronounced [ʝaˈmaβ̞a]. llamaban is at rank #9,144, tagged as averb, pronounced [ʝaˈmaβ̞ãn].
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 13235, this pair ranks #288,592 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of llamaba vs llamaban
Shared letters: ablm. Private to "llamaba": -. Private to "llamaban": n.
"llamaba" · 7 letters · shape CCVCVCV · "llamaban" · 8 letters · shape CCVCVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "llamaba" and "llamaban" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "llamaba" or "llamaban"?
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 "llamaba" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "llamaban" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #288,592 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "llamaba" and "llamaban" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "llamaban vs llamarían". 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 #288,592 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.