Which to use
“mataban” and “matará” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #27,682
- “mataban” frequency rank
- #36,151
- “matará” frequency rank
- 63833
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | mataban | matará |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Tercera persona del plural (ellos, ellas; ustedes, 2.ª persona) del pretérito imperfecto de indicativo de matar. | Tercera persona del singular (él, ella, ello; usted, 2.ª persona) del futuro de indicativo de matar o de matarse. |
Where the eye mixes mataban and matará
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence. mataban runs 7 letters (CVCVCVC) against matará's 6 (CVCVCV) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses mataban with matará
A purely visual mix-up. mataban ([maˈt̪aβ̞ãn]) and matará ([mat̪aˈɾa]) 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 63833, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
mataban is recorded at frequency rank #27,682, classified as averb, pronounced [maˈt̪aβ̞ãn]. matará is at rank #36,151, tagged as averb, pronounced [mat̪aˈɾa].
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 63833, this pair ranks #47,443 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of mataban vs matará
Shared letters: amt. Private to "mataban": bn. Private to "matará": rá.
"mataban" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCVC · "matará" · 6 letters · shape CVCVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
- mataban ← amtaban · maatban · mataabn · matabann · matabban · matabna · matavan · matbaan
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "mataban" for "matará" ever safe?
Frequency check: "mataban" vs "matará" - which ranks higher?
What to do next
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "mataban" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "matará" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #47,443 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "mataban" and "matará" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "matará vs matarían". 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 #47,443 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.