Which to use
“llamaban” and “llegaban” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #9,144
- “llamaban” frequency rank
- #9,850
- “llegaban” frequency rank
- 18994
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | llamaban | llegaban |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Tercera persona del plural (ellos, ellas; ustedes, 2.ª persona) del pretérito imperfecto de indicativo de llamar. | Tercera persona del plural (ellos, ellas; ustedes, 2.ª persona) del pretérito imperfecto de indicativo de llegar. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set llamaban and llegaban apart are highlighted. They share 6 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
A purely visual mix-up. llamaban ([ʝaˈmaβ̞ãn]) and llegaban ([ʝeˈɣ̞aβ̞ãn]) 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 18994, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
llamaban is recorded at frequency rank #9,144, classified as averb, pronounced [ʝaˈmaβ̞ãn]. llegaban is at rank #9,850, tagged as averb, pronounced [ʝeˈɣ̞aβ̞ãn].
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 18994, this pair ranks #265,612 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of llamaban vs llegaban
Shared letters: abln. Private to "llamaban": m. Private to "llegaban": eg.
"llamaban" · 8 letters · shape CCVCVCVC · "llegaban" · 8 letters · shape CCVCVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "llamaban" and "llegaban" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "llamaban" or "llegaban"?
Remembering llamaban vs llegaban
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 “llamaban” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable