pagasvspagasteWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#9,336
“pagas” frequency rank
#26,169
“pagaste” frequency rank
35505
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature pagas pagaste
Definition Segunda persona del singular (tú) del presente de indicativo de pagar o de pagarse. Segunda persona del singular (tú, vos) del pretérito perfecto simple de indicativo de pagar o de pagarse.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set pagas and pagaste apart are highlighted. They share 5 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

5 ch
pagas
7 ch
pagaste

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. pagas ([ˈpaɣ̞as]) and pagaste ([paˈɣ̞ast̪e]) 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 2 extra letter(s) - “pagas” sits inside “pagaste”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 35505, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

pagas is recorded at frequency rank #9,336, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈpaɣ̞as]. pagaste is at rank #26,169, tagged as averb, pronounced [paˈɣ̞ast̪e].

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 35505, this pair ranks #185,717 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of pagas vs pagaste

Shared letters: agps. Private to "pagas": -. Private to "pagaste": et.

"pagas" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC  ·  "pagaste" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • pagasapgas · paags · pagass · paggas · pagsa · pgaas · ppagas
  • pagasteapgaste · paagste · pagaset · pagasste · pagastte · pagatse · paggaste · pagsate

Frequency comparison

pagas#9,336
pagaste#26,169

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "pagas" and "pagaste" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈpaɣ̞as] versus [paˈɣ̞ast̪e]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "pagas" or "pagaste"?
"pagas" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #9,336 in our Spanish list, against #26,169 for "pagaste". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering pagas vs pagaste

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “pagas” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list