Which to use
“pagaban” and “pasaba” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #18,925
- “pagaban” frequency rank
- #3,276
- “pasaba” frequency rank
- 22201
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | pagaban | pasaba |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Tercera persona del plural (ellos, ellas; ustedes, 2.ª persona) del pretérito imperfecto de indicativo de pagar. | Primera persona del singular (yo) del pretérito imperfecto de indicativo de pasar. |
Where the eye mixes pagaban and pasaba
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence.
Visual trap between pagaban and pasaba
A purely visual mix-up. pagaban ([paˈɣ̞aβ̞ãn]) 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 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 22201, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
pagaban is recorded at frequency rank #18,925, classified as averb, pronounced [paˈɣ̞aβ̞ãn]. 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 22201, this pair ranks #251,446 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of pagaban vs pasaba
Shared letters: abp. Private to "pagaban": gn. Private to "pasaba": s.
"pagaban" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCVC · "pasaba" · 6 letters · shape CVCVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "pagaban" and "pasaba" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "pagaban" or "pasaba"?
What to do next
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "pagaban" 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 #251,446 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "pagaban" and "pasaba" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "pagaban 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 #251,446 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.