Which to use
“pagaba” is a verb and “pagarla” is a phrase - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #15,437
- “pagaba” frequency rank
- #33,753
- “pagarla” frequency rank
- 49190
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | pagaba | pagarla |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Primera persona del singular (yo) del pretérito imperfecto de indicativo de pagar o de pagarse. | Sufrir el culpable su condigno castigo o la venganza de que se hizo más o menos merecedor. |
Where the eye mixes pagaba and pagarla
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence. pagaba runs 6 letters (CVCVCV) against pagarla's 7 (CVCVCCV) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Visual trap between pagaba and pagarla
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: pagaba is [paˈɣ̞aβ̞a] while pagarla is [paˈɣ̞aɾla]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs phrase), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 49190, 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]. pagarla is at rank #33,753, tagged as aphrase, pronounced [paˈɣ̞aɾla].
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 49190, this pair ranks #110,220 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of pagaba vs pagarla
Shared letters: agp. Private to "pagaba": b. Private to "pagarla": lr.
"pagaba" · 6 letters · shape CVCVCV · "pagarla" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "pagaba" and "pagarla" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "pagaba" or "pagarla"?
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 "pagaba" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "pagarla" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #110,220 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "pagaba" and "pagarla" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "pagana vs pagarla". 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 #110,220 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.