Which to use
“llegaban” and “llegaron” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #9,850
- “llegaban” frequency rank
- #1,778
- “llegaron” frequency rank
- 11628
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | llegaban | llegaron |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Tercera persona del plural (ellos, ellas; ustedes, 2.ª persona) del pretérito imperfecto de indicativo de llegar. | Tercera persona del plural (ellos, ellas; ustedes, 2.ª persona) del pretérito perfecto simple de indicativo de llegar o de llegarse. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set llegaban and llegaron 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. llegaban ([ʝeˈɣ̞aβ̞ãn]) and llegaron ([ʝeˈɣ̞aɾõn]) 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 11628, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
llegaban is recorded at frequency rank #9,850, classified as averb, pronounced [ʝeˈɣ̞aβ̞ãn]. llegaron is at rank #1,778, tagged as averb, pronounced [ʝeˈɣ̞aɾõn].
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 11628, this pair ranks #294,413 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of llegaban vs llegaron
Shared letters: aegln. Private to "llegaban": b. Private to "llegaron": or.
"llegaban" · 8 letters · shape CCVCVCVC · "llegaron" · 8 letters · shape CCVCVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "llegaban" and "llegaron" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "llegaban" or "llegaron"?
Remembering llegaban vs llegaron
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 “llegaban” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable