marcabavsmarchabaWhich spelling fits?

Which to use

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

#25,706
“marcaba” frequency rank
#33,223
“marchaba” frequency rank
58929
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature marcaba marchaba
Definition Primera persona del singular (yo) del pretérito imperfecto de indicativo de marcar. Primera persona del singular (yo) del pretérito imperfecto de indicativo de marchar o de marcharse.

Where the eye mixes marcaba and marchaba

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence.

7 ch
marcaba
8 ch
marchaba

Look-alike desk: marcaba vs marchaba

A purely visual mix-up. marcaba ([maɾˈkaβ̞a]) and marchaba ([maɾˈt͡ʃaβ̞a]) 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 58929, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

marcaba is recorded at frequency rank #25,706, classified as averb, pronounced [maɾˈkaβ̞a]. marchaba is at rank #33,223, tagged as averb, pronounced [maɾˈt͡ʃaβ̞a].

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 58929, this pair ranks #64,567 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of marcaba vs marchaba

Shared letters: abcmr. Private to "marcaba": -. Private to "marchaba": h.

"marcaba" · 7 letters · shape CVCCVCV  ·  "marchaba" · 8 letters · shape CVCCCVCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • marcabaamrcaba · macraba · maracba · marcaab · marcabba · marcava · marcbaa · marccaba
  • marchabaamrchaba · macrhaba · marcahba · marcchaba · marchaab · marchabba · marchava · marchbaa

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "marcaba" and "marchaba" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([maɾˈkaβ̞a] versus [maɾˈt͡ʃaβ̞a]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "marcaba" or "marchaba"?
"marcaba" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #25,706 in our Spanish list, against #33,223 for "marchaba". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

What to do next

Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.

  • Full dictionary entry for "marcaba" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "marchaba" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #64,567 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "marcaba" and "marchaba" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "machaca vs marchaba". 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 #64,567 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list