matabanvsmataránWhich spelling fits?

Which to use

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

#27,682
“mataban” frequency rank
#47,256
“matarán” frequency rank
74938
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature mataban matarán
Definition Tercera persona del plural (ellos, ellas; ustedes, 2.ª persona) del pretérito imperfecto de indicativo de matar. Tercera persona del plural (ellos, ellas; ustedes, 2.ª persona) del futuro de indicativo de matar o de matarse.

Where the eye mixes mataban and matarán

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence.

7 ch
mataban
7 ch
matarán

Look-alike desk: mataban vs matarán

A purely visual mix-up. mataban ([maˈt̪aβ̞ãn]) and matarán ([mat̪aˈɾãn]) 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 74938, 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]. matarán is at rank #47,256, tagged as averb, pronounced [mat̪aˈɾãn].

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 74938, this pair ranks #20,466 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of mataban vs matarán

Shared letters: amnt. Private to "mataban": b. Private to "matarán": .

"mataban" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCVC  ·  "matarán" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • matabanamtaban · maatban · mataabn · matabann · matabban · matabna · matavan · matbaan

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "mataban" and "matarán" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([maˈt̪aβ̞ãn] versus [mat̪aˈɾãn]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "mataban" or "matarán"?
"mataban" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #27,682 in our Spanish list, against #47,256 for "matarán". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

After this comparison

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

  • Full dictionary entry for "mataban" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "matarán" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #20,466 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "mataban" and "matarán" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "matarán vs Maturana". 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 #20,466 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