pagabavsparabanWhich spelling fits?

Which to use

“pagaba” and “paraban” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#15,437
“pagaba” frequency rank
#38,287
“paraban” frequency rank
53724
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature pagaba paraban
Definition Primera persona del singular (yo) del pretérito imperfecto de indicativo de pagar o de pagarse. Tercera persona del plural (ellos, ellas; ustedes, 2.ª persona) del pretérito imperfecto de indicativo de parar.

Where the eye mixes pagaba and paraban

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence. pagaba runs 6 letters (CVCVCV) against paraban's 7 (CVCVCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.

6 ch
pagaba
7 ch
paraban

Why the eye confuses pagaba with paraban

A purely visual mix-up. pagaba ([paˈɣ̞aβ̞a]) and paraban ([paˈɾaβ̞ãn]) 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 53724, 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]. paraban is at rank #38,287, tagged as averb, pronounced [paˈɾaβ̞ãn].

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 53724, this pair ranks #86,519 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of pagaba vs paraban

Shared letters: abp. Private to "pagaba": g. Private to "paraban": nr.

"pagaba" · 6 letters · shape CVCVCV  ·  "paraban" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • pagaba ← apgaba · paagba · pagaab · pagabba · pagava · pagbaa · paggaba · pgaaba
  • paraban ← apraban · paarban · paraabn · parabann · parabban · parabna · paravan · parbaan

Frequently Asked Questions

Do "pagaba" and "paraban" mean the same thing in a sentence?
No. They are said differently ([paˈɣ̞aβ̞a] versus [paˈɾaβ̞ãn]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "pagaba" or "paraban"?
"pagaba" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #15,437 in our Spanish list, against #38,287 for "paraban". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

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 "paraban" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #86,519 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "pagaba" and "paraban" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "paraban vs partían". 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 #86,519 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list