Which to use
“olvidaba” and “olvídate” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #15,917
- “olvidaba” frequency rank
- #16,166
- “olvídate” frequency rank
- 32083
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | olvidaba | olvídate |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Primera persona del singular (yo) del pretérito imperfecto de indicativo de olvidar o de olvidarse. | Segunda persona del singular (tú) del imperativo afirmativo de olvidarse (con el pronombre enclítico). |
Where the eye mixes olvidaba and olvídate
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence.
Visual trap between olvidaba and olvídate
A purely visual mix-up. olvidaba ([olβ̞iˈð̞aβ̞a]) and olvídate ([olˈβ̞ið̞at̪e]) 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 3 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 32083, 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]. olvídate is at rank #16,166, tagged as averb, pronounced [olˈβ̞ið̞at̪e].
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 32083, this pair ranks #203,823 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of olvidaba vs olvídate
Shared letters: adlov. Private to "olvidaba": bi. Private to "olvídate": etí.
"olvidaba" · 8 letters · shape VCCVCVCV · "olvídate" · 8 letters · shape VCCVCVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
- olvidaba ← lovidaba · olbidaba · olivdaba · ollvidaba · olvdiaba · olviadba · olvidaab · olvidabba
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "olvidaba" and "olvídate" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Which is more common, "olvidaba" or "olvídate"?
Useful next steps
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "olvidaba" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "olvídate" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #203,823 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "olvidaba" and "olvídate" 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 #203,823 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.