Which to use
“ordena” and “ordenaba” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #7,331
- “ordena” frequency rank
- #34,244
- “ordenaba” frequency rank
- 41575
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | ordena | ordenaba |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Tercera persona del singular (él, ella, ello; usted, 2.ª persona) del presente de indicativo de ordenar o de ordenarse. | Primera persona del singular (yo) del pretérito imperfecto de indicativo de ordenar o de ordenarse. |
Where the eye mixes ordena and ordenaba
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence. ordena runs 6 letters (VCCVCV) against ordenaba's 8 (VCCVCVCV) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Look-alike desk: ordena vs ordenaba
A purely visual mix-up. ordena ([oɾˈð̞ena]) and ordenaba ([oɾð̞eˈnaβ̞a]) 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) - “ordena” sits inside “ordenaba”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 41575, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
ordena is recorded at frequency rank #7,331, classified as averb, pronounced [oɾˈð̞ena]. ordenaba is at rank #34,244, tagged as averb, pronounced [oɾð̞eˈnaβ̞a].
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 41575, this pair ranks #152,924 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of ordena vs ordenaba
Shared letters: adenor. Private to "ordena": -. Private to "ordenaba": b.
"ordena" · 6 letters · shape VCCVCV · "ordenaba" · 8 letters · shape VCCVCVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "ordena" for "ordenaba" ever safe?
Frequency check: "ordena" vs "ordenaba" - which ranks higher?
After this comparison
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "ordena" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "ordenaba" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #152,924 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "ordena" and "ordenaba" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "ordenaba vs ordenan". 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 #152,924 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.