llevabavsllévameWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#2,570
“llevaba” frequency rank
#27,669
“llévame” frequency rank
30239
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature llevaba llévame
Definition Primera persona del singular (yo) del pretérito imperfecto de indicativo de llevar o de llevarse. Segunda persona del singular (tú) del imperativo afirmativo de llevar (con el pronombre «me» enclítico); solicitud para que mi interlocutor me lleve a mí o lleve algo para mí.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set llevaba and llévame apart are highlighted. They share 4 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

7 ch
llevaba
7 ch
llévame

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. llevaba ([ʝeˈβ̞aβ̞a]) and llévame ([ˈʝeβ̞ame]) 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 3 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 30239, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

llevaba is recorded at frequency rank #2,570, classified as averb, pronounced [ʝeˈβ̞aβ̞a]. llévame is at rank #27,669, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈʝeβ̞ame].

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 30239, this pair ranks #212,965 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of llevaba vs llévame

Shared letters: aelv. Private to "llevaba": b. Private to "llévame": .

"llevaba" · 7 letters · shape CCVCVCV  ·  "llévame" · 7 letters · shape CCVCVCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • llevabalelvaba · levaba · lleavba · llebaba · llevaab · llevabba · llevava · llevbaa

Frequency comparison

llevaba#2,570
llévame#27,669

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "llevaba" and "llévame" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ʝeˈβ̞aβ̞a] versus [ˈʝeβ̞ame]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "llevaba" or "llévame"?
"llevaba" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #2,570 in our Spanish list, against #27,669 for "llévame". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

Remembering llevaba vs llévame

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 “llevaba” 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