Which to use
“ostentaba” and “ostentan” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #38,861
- “ostentaba” frequency rank
- #32,787
- “ostentan” frequency rank
- 71648
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | ostentaba | ostentan |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Primera persona del singular (yo) del pretérito imperfecto de indicativo de ostentar. | Tercera persona del plural (ellos, ellas; ustedes, 2.ª persona) del presente de indicativo de ostentar. |
Where the eye mixes ostentaba and ostentan
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence.
Look-alike desk: ostentaba vs ostentan
A purely visual mix-up. ostentaba ([ost̪ẽn̪ˈt̪aβ̞a]) and ostentan ([osˈt̪ẽn̪t̪ãn]) 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 71648, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
ostentaba is recorded at frequency rank #38,861, classified as averb, pronounced [ost̪ẽn̪ˈt̪aβ̞a]. ostentan is at rank #32,787, tagged as averb, pronounced [osˈt̪ẽn̪t̪ãn].
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 71648, this pair ranks #27,042 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of ostentaba vs ostentan
Shared letters: aenost. Private to "ostentaba": b. Private to "ostentan": -.
"ostentaba" · 9 letters · shape VCCVCCVCV · "ostentan" · 8 letters · shape VCCVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "ostentaba" and "ostentan" be used interchangeably?
Frequency check: "ostentaba" vs "ostentan" - which ranks higher?
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 "ostentaba" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "ostentan" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #27,042 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "ostentaba" and "ostentan" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "obtenían vs ostentan". 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 #27,042 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.