obligabavsobligarWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#20,753
“obligaba” frequency rank
#9,002
“obligar” frequency rank
29755
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature obligaba obligar
Definition Primera persona del singular (yo) del pretérito imperfecto de indicativo de obligar o de obligarse. Atar, ligar, precisar, mover eficazmente a alguna cosa, aunque sea repugnante al gusto y genio del que la ha de ejecutar.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set obligaba and obligar apart are highlighted. They share 6 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

8 ch
obligaba
7 ch
obligar

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. obligaba ([oβ̞liˈɣ̞aβ̞a]) and obligar ([oβ̞liˈɣ̞aɾ]) 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 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 29755, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

obligaba is recorded at frequency rank #20,753, classified as averb, pronounced [oβ̞liˈɣ̞aβ̞a]. obligar is at rank #9,002, tagged as averb, pronounced [oβ̞liˈɣ̞aɾ].

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 29755, this pair ranks #215,406 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of obligaba vs obligar

Shared letters: abgilo. Private to "obligaba": -. Private to "obligar": r.

"obligaba" · 8 letters · shape VCCVCVCV  ·  "obligar" · 7 letters · shape VCCVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • obligababoligaba · obbligaba · obilgaba · oblgiaba · obliagba · obligaab · obligabba · obligbaa
  • obligarboligar · obbligar · obilgar · oblgiar · obliagr · obligarr · obliggar · obligra

Frequency comparison

obligaba#20,753
obligar#9,002

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "obligaba" and "obligar" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([oβ̞liˈɣ̞aβ̞a] versus [oβ̞liˈɣ̞aɾ]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "obligaba" or "obligar"?
"obligar" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #9,002 in our Spanish list, against #20,753 for "obligaba". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering obligaba vs obligar

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 “obligaba” 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