Which to use
“olvidaba” and “olvidar” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #15,917
- “olvidaba” frequency rank
- #2,516
- “olvidar” frequency rank
- 18433
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | olvidaba | olvidar |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Primera persona del singular (yo) del pretérito imperfecto de indicativo de olvidar o de olvidarse. | Perder el recuerdo o la memoria de algo. |
Where the eye mixes olvidaba and olvidar
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence.
Look-alike desk: olvidaba vs olvidar
A purely visual mix-up. olvidaba ([olβ̞iˈð̞aβ̞a]) and olvidar ([olβ̞iˈð̞aɾ]) 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 18433, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
olvidaba is recorded at frequency rank #15,917, classified as averb, pronounced [olβ̞iˈð̞aβ̞a]. olvidar is at rank #2,516, tagged as averb, pronounced [olβ̞iˈð̞aɾ].
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 18433, this pair ranks #267,932 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of olvidaba vs olvidar
Shared letters: adilov. Private to "olvidaba": b. Private to "olvidar": r.
"olvidaba" · 8 letters · shape VCCVCVCV · "olvidar" · 7 letters · shape VCCVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "olvidaba" and "olvidar" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "olvidaba" or "olvidar"?
Useful next steps
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "olvidaba" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "olvidar" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #267,932 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "olvidaba" and "olvidar" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "olvidaba vs olvidarás". 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 #267,932 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.