llamabanvsllevabanWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#9,144
“llamaban” frequency rank
#6,080
“llevaban” frequency rank
15224
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature llamaban llevaban
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 llevar.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set llamaban and llevaban apart are highlighted. They share 6 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

8 ch
llamaban
8 ch
llevaban

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. llamaban ([ʝaˈmaβ̞ãn]) and llevaban ([ʝeˈβ̞aβ̞ãn]) 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 15224, 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]. llevaban is at rank #6,080, tagged as averb, pronounced [ʝeˈβ̞aβ̞ãn].

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 15224, this pair ranks #281,046 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of llamaban vs llevaban

Shared letters: abln. Private to "llamaban": m. Private to "llevaban": ev.

"llamaban" · 8 letters · shape CCVCVCVC  ·  "llevaban" · 8 letters · shape CCVCVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • llamabanlalmaban · lamaban · llaamban · llamaabn · llamabann · llamabban · llamabna · llamavan
  • llevabanlelvaban · levaban · lleavban · llebaban · llevaabn · llevabann · llevabban · llevabna

Frequency comparison

llamaban#9,144
llevaban#6,080

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "llamaban" and "llevaban" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ʝaˈmaβ̞ãn] versus [ʝeˈβ̞aβ̞ãn]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "llamaban" or "llevaban"?
"llevaban" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #6,080 in our Spanish list, against #9,144 for "llamaban". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering llamaban vs llevaban

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

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list