Which to use
“pagaba” and “pagar” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #15,437
- “pagaba” frequency rank
- #898
- “pagar” frequency rank
- 16335
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | pagaba | pagar |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Primera persona del singular (yo) del pretérito imperfecto de indicativo de pagar o de pagarse. | Satisfacer lo que se debía. |
Where the eye mixes pagaba and pagar
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence.
Look-alike desk: pagaba vs pagar
A purely visual mix-up. pagaba ([paˈɣ̞aβ̞a]) and pagar ([paˈɣ̞aɾ]) 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 16335, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
pagaba is recorded at frequency rank #15,437, classified as averb, pronounced [paˈɣ̞aβ̞a]. pagar is at rank #898, tagged as averb, pronounced [paˈɣ̞aɾ].
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 16335, this pair ranks #276,583 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of pagaba vs pagar
Shared letters: agp. Private to "pagaba": b. Private to "pagar": r.
"pagaba" · 6 letters · shape CVCVCV · "pagar" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "pagaba" and "pagar" be used interchangeably?
In ordinary Spanish text, does "pagaba" or "pagar" show up more?
After this comparison
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "pagaba" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "pagar" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #276,583 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "pagaba" and "pagar" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "pagaba vs paganas". 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 #276,583 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.