pasadovspavadaWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#226
“pasado” frequency rank
#44,362
“pavada” frequency rank
44588
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature pasado pavada
Definition Temporada antes del presente. Grupo de pavos.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set pasado and pavada apart are highlighted. They share 4 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

6 ch
pasado
6 ch
pavada

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. pasado ([paˈsað̞o]) and pavada ([paˈβ̞að̞a]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 44588, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

pasado is recorded at frequency rank #226, classified as anoun, pronounced [paˈsað̞o]. pavada is at rank #44,362, tagged as anoun, pronounced [paˈβ̞að̞a].

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 44588, this pair ranks #136,216 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of pasado vs pavada

Shared letters: adp. Private to "pasado": os. Private to "pavada": v.

"pasado" · 6 letters · shape CVCVCV  ·  "pavada" · 6 letters · shape CVCVCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • pasadoapsado · paasdo · pasaddo · pasaod · pasdao · passado · ppasado · psaado
  • pavadaapvada · paavda · pabada · pavaad · pavadda · pavdaa · pavvada · ppavada

Frequency comparison

pasado#226
pavada#44,362

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "pasado" and "pavada" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([paˈsað̞o] versus [paˈβ̞að̞a]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "pasado" or "pavada"?
"pasado" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #226 in our Spanish list, against #44,362 for "pavada". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

Remembering pasado vs pavada

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 “pasado” 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 FrequencyWords open word-frequency list