llegabavsllenabaWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#5,981
“llegaba” frequency rank
#28,432
“llenaba” frequency rank
34413
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature llegaba llenaba
Definition Primera persona del singular (yo) del pretérito imperfecto de indicativo de llegar o de llegarse. Primera persona del singular (yo) del pretérito imperfecto de indicativo de llenar.

Where the spellings diverge

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

7 ch
llegaba
7 ch
llenaba

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. llegaba ([ʝeˈɣ̞aβ̞a]) and llenaba ([ʝeˈnaβ̞a]) 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 a single letter - g in “llegaba” becomes n in “llenaba”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 34413, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

llegaba is recorded at frequency rank #5,981, classified as averb, pronounced [ʝeˈɣ̞aβ̞a]. llenaba is at rank #28,432, tagged as averb, pronounced [ʝeˈnaβ̞a].

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 34413, this pair ranks #191,587 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of llegaba vs llenaba

Shared letters: abel. Private to "llegaba": g. Private to "llenaba": n.

"llegaba" · 7 letters · shape CCVCVCV  ·  "llenaba" · 7 letters · shape CCVCVCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • llegabalegaba · lelgaba · lleagba · llegaab · llegabba · llegava · llegbaa · lleggaba
  • llenabalelnaba · lenaba · lleanba · llenaab · llenabba · llenava · llenbaa · llennaba

Frequency comparison

llegaba#5,981
llenaba#28,432

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "llegaba" and "llenaba" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ʝeˈɣ̞aβ̞a] versus [ʝeˈnaβ̞a]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "llegaba" or "llenaba"?
"llegaba" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #5,981 in our Spanish list, against #28,432 for "llenaba". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering llegaba vs llenaba

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 “llegaba” 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