pagastevspasasteTell them apart

Which to use

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

#26,169
“pagaste” frequency rank
#12,891
“pasaste” frequency rank
39060
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

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

Where the eye mixes pagaste and pasaste

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence. pagaste and pasaste follow the identical consonant-vowel pattern (CVCVCCV). Same shape at a glance is often the real trap, independent of shared letters.

7 ch
pagaste
7 ch
pasaste

Visual trap between pagaste and pasaste

A purely visual mix-up. pagaste ([paˈɣ̞ast̪e]) and pasaste ([paˈsast̪e]) 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 “pagaste” becomes s in “pasaste”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 39060, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

pagaste is recorded at frequency rank #26,169, classified as averb, pronounced [paˈɣ̞ast̪e]. pasaste is at rank #12,891, tagged as averb, pronounced [paˈsast̪e].

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 39060, this pair ranks #166,608 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of pagaste vs pasaste

Shared letters: aepst. Private to "pagaste": g. Private to "pasaste": -.

"pagaste" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCCV  ·  "pasaste" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • pagaste ← apgaste · paagste · pagaset · pagasste · pagastte · pagatse · paggaste · pagsate
  • pasaste ← apsaste · paasste · pasaset · pasasste · pasastte · pasatse · passaste · passate

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "pagaste" and "pasaste" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([paˈɣ̞ast̪e] versus [paˈsast̪e]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Frequency check: "pagaste" vs "pasaste" - which ranks higher?
"pasaste" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #12,891 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.

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 "pagaste" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "pasaste" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #166,608 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "pagaste" and "pasaste" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "pagaste vs pegaste". 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 #166,608 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