Which to use
“pagaba” and “pasaba” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #15,437
- “pagaba” frequency rank
- #3,276
- “pasaba” frequency rank
- 18713
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | pagaba | pasaba |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Primera persona del singular (yo) del pretérito imperfecto de indicativo de pagar o de pagarse. | Primera persona del singular (yo) del pretérito imperfecto de indicativo de pasar. |
Where the eye mixes pagaba and pasaba
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence.
Visual trap between pagaba and pasaba
A purely visual mix-up. pagaba ([paˈɣ̞aβ̞a]) and pasaba ([paˈsaβ̞a]) 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 a single letter - g in “pagaba” becomes s in “pasaba”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 18713, 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]. pasaba is at rank #3,276, tagged as averb, pronounced [paˈsaβ̞a].
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 18713, this pair ranks #266,779 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of pagaba vs pasaba
Shared letters: abp. Private to "pagaba": g. Private to "pasaba": s.
"pagaba" · 6 letters · shape CVCVCV · "pasaba" · 6 letters · shape CVCVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "pagaba" and "pasaba" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Frequency check: "pagaba" vs "pasaba" - 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 "pagaba" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "pasaba" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #266,779 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "pagaba" and "pasaba" 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 #266,779 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.