mirabavsmírateWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#6,704
“miraba” frequency rank
#34,693
“mírate” frequency rank
41397
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature miraba mírate
Definition Primera persona del singular (yo) del pretérito imperfecto de indicativo de mirar o de mirarse. Segunda persona del singular (tú) del imperativo afirmativo de mirarse (con el pronombre «te» enclítico).

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set miraba and mírate apart are highlighted. They share 3 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

6 ch
miraba
6 ch
mírate

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. miraba ([miˈɾaβ̞a]) and mírate ([ˈmiɾat̪e]) 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 3 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 41397, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

miraba is recorded at frequency rank #6,704, classified as averb, pronounced [miˈɾaβ̞a]. mírate is at rank #34,693, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈmiɾat̪e].

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 41397, this pair ranks #153,868 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of miraba vs mírate

Shared letters: amr. Private to "miraba": bi. Private to "mírate": etí.

"miraba" · 6 letters · shape CVCVCV  ·  "mírate" · 6 letters · shape CVCVCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • mirabaimraba · miarba · miraab · mirabba · mirava · mirbaa · mirraba · mmiraba

Frequency comparison

miraba#6,704
mírate#34,693

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "miraba" and "mírate" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([miˈɾaβ̞a] versus [ˈmiɾat̪e]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "miraba" or "mírate"?
"miraba" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #6,704 in our Spanish list, against #34,693 for "mírate". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering miraba vs mírate

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “miraba” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list