Which to use
“ocupaba” and “ocupaban” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #12,434
- “ocupaba” frequency rank
- #21,770
- “ocupaban” frequency rank
- 34204
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | ocupaba | ocupaban |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Primera persona del singular (yo) del pretérito imperfecto de indicativo de ocupar. | Tercera persona del plural (ellos, ellas; ustedes, 2.ª persona) del pretérito imperfecto de indicativo de ocupar. |
Where the eye mixes ocupaba and ocupaban
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence. ocupaba runs 7 letters (VCVCVCV) against ocupaban's 8 (VCVCVCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Look-alike desk: ocupaba vs ocupaban
A purely visual mix-up. ocupaba ([okuˈpaβ̞a]) and ocupaban ([okuˈpaβ̞ãn]) 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 extra letter(s) - “ocupaba” sits inside “ocupaban”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 34204, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
ocupaba is recorded at frequency rank #12,434, classified as averb, pronounced [okuˈpaβ̞a]. ocupaban is at rank #21,770, tagged as averb, pronounced [okuˈpaβ̞ãn].
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 34204, this pair ranks #192,688 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of ocupaba vs ocupaban
Shared letters: abcopu. Private to "ocupaba": -. Private to "ocupaban": n.
"ocupaba" · 7 letters · shape VCVCVCV · "ocupaban" · 8 letters · shape VCVCVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "ocupaba" and "ocupaban" be used interchangeably?
Frequency check: "ocupaba" vs "ocupaban" - which ranks higher?
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 "ocupaba" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "ocupaban" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #192,688 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "ocupaba" and "ocupaban" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "ocupaban vs ocuparán". 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 #192,688 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.