Which to use
“llevaba” and “llevar” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #2,570
- “llevaba” frequency rank
- #612
- “llevar” frequency rank
- 3182
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | llevaba | llevar |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Primera persona del singular (yo) del pretérito imperfecto de indicativo de llevar o de llevarse. | Trasladar algo o a alguien desde un lugar hacia otro separado en el espacio. |
Where the eye mixes llevaba and llevar
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence.
Visual trap between llevaba and llevar
A purely visual mix-up. llevaba ([ʝeˈβ̞aβ̞a]) and llevar ([ʝeˈβ̞aɾ]) 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 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 3182, 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]. llevar is at rank #612, tagged as averb, pronounced [ʝeˈβ̞aɾ].
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 3182, this pair ranks #318,879 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of llevaba vs llevar
Shared letters: aelv. Private to "llevaba": b. Private to "llevar": r.
"llevaba" · 7 letters · shape CCVCVCV · "llevar" · 6 letters · shape CCVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "llevaba" for "llevar" ever safe?
Frequency check: "llevaba" vs "llevar" - which ranks higher?
Useful next steps
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "llevaba" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "llevar" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #318,879 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "llevaba" and "llevar" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "llevaba vs llevarás". Nearby pair
- Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes
Confusion rank #318,879 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.