matabanvsmataronConfusable pair

Which to use

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

#27,682
“mataban” frequency rank
#4,526
“mataron” frequency rank
32208
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature mataban mataron
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 pretérito perfecto simple de indicativo de matar o de matarse.

Where the eye mixes mataban and mataron

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

7 ch
mataban
7 ch
mataron

Look-alike desk: mataban vs mataron

A purely visual mix-up. mataban ([maˈt̪aβ̞ãn]) and mataron ([maˈt̪aɾõn]) 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 32208, 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]. mataron is at rank #4,526, tagged as averb, pronounced [maˈt̪aɾõn].

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 32208, this pair ranks #203,194 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of mataban vs mataron

Shared letters: amnt. Private to "mataban": b. Private to "mataron": or.

"mataban" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCVC  ·  "mataron" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • matabanamtaban · maatban · mataabn · matabann · matabban · matabna · matavan · matbaan
  • mataronamtaron · maatron · mataorn · matarno · mataronn · matarron · matraon · mattaron

Frequently Asked Questions

Is swapping "mataban" for "mataron" ever safe?
No. They are said differently ([maˈt̪aβ̞ãn] versus [maˈt̪aɾõn]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "mataban" or "mataron"?
"mataron" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #4,526 in our Spanish list, against #27,682 for "mataban". 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 "mataron" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #203,194 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "mataban" and "mataron" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "mataban 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 #203,194 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