molestabavsmolestadoConfusable pair

Which to use

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

#21,409
“molestaba” frequency rank
#18,318
“molestado” frequency rank
39727
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature molestaba molestado
Definition Primera persona del singular (yo) del pretérito imperfecto de indicativo de molestar. Participio de molestar.

Where the eye mixes molestaba and molestado

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence. molestaba and molestado follow the identical consonant-vowel pattern (CVCVCCVCV). Same shape at a glance is often the real trap, independent of shared letters.

9 ch
molestaba
9 ch
molestado

Why the eye confuses molestaba with molestado

A purely visual mix-up. molestaba ([molesˈt̪aβ̞a]) and molestado ([molesˈt̪að̞o]) 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 39727, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

molestaba is recorded at frequency rank #21,409, classified as averb, pronounced [molesˈt̪aβ̞a]. molestado is at rank #18,318, tagged as averb, pronounced [molesˈt̪að̞o].

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 39727, this pair ranks #162,957 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of molestaba vs molestado

Shared letters: aelmost. Private to "molestaba": b. Private to "molestado": d.

"molestaba" · 9 letters · shape CVCVCCVCV  ·  "molestado" · 9 letters · shape CVCVCCVCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • molestaba ← mloestaba · mmolestaba · moelstaba · molesatba · molesstaba · molestaab · molestabba · molestava
  • molestado ← mloestado · mmolestado · moelstado · molesatdo · molesstado · molestaddo · molestaod · molestdao

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "molestaba" and "molestado" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([molesˈt̪aβ̞a] versus [molesˈt̪að̞o]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Frequency check: "molestaba" vs "molestado" - which ranks higher?
"molestado" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #18,318 in our Spanish list, against #21,409 for "molestaba". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

After this comparison

Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.

  • Full dictionary entry for "molestaba" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "molestado" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #162,957 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "molestaba" and "molestado" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "molestado vs molestaron". 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 #162,957 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