nombravsnombrabaConfusable pair

Which to use

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

#10,386
“nombra” frequency rank
#45,473
“nombraba” frequency rank
55859
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature nombra nombraba
Definition Tercera persona del singular (él, ella, ello; usted, 2.ª persona) del presente de indicativo de nombrar. Primera persona del singular (yo) del pretérito imperfecto de indicativo de nombrar.

Where the eye mixes nombra and nombraba

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence. nombra runs 6 letters (CVCCCV) against nombraba's 8 (CVCCCVCV) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.

6 ch
nombra
8 ch
nombraba

Why the eye confuses nombra with nombraba

A purely visual mix-up. nombra ([ˈnõmbɾa]) and nombraba ([nõmˈbɾaβ̞a]) 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 2 extra letter(s) - “nombra” sits inside “nombraba”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 55859, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

nombra is recorded at frequency rank #10,386, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈnõmbɾa]. nombraba is at rank #45,473, tagged as averb, pronounced [nõmˈbɾaβ̞a].

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 55859, this pair ranks #77,027 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of nombra vs nombraba

Shared letters: abmnor. Private to "nombra": -. Private to "nombraba": -.

"nombra" · 6 letters · shape CVCCCV  ·  "nombraba" · 8 letters · shape CVCCCVCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • nombra ← nmobra · nnombra · nobmra · nombar · nombbra · nommbra · nomrba · nomvra
  • nombraba ← nmobraba · nnombraba · nobmraba · nombarba · nombbraba · nombraab · nombrabba · nombrbaa

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "nombra" and "nombraba" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈnõmbɾa] versus [nõmˈbɾaβ̞a]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "nombra" or "nombraba"?
"nombra" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #10,386 in our Spanish list, against #45,473 for "nombraba". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Useful next steps

Eye-level mix-up between "nombra" and "nombraba" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.

  • Full dictionary entry for "nombra" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "nombraba" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #77,027 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "nombra" and "nombraba" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "nombraba vs nombradas". 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 #77,027 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