pensabavspensabasWhich spelling fits?

Which to use

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

#2,221
“pensaba” frequency rank
#18,343
“pensabas” frequency rank
20564
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature pensaba pensabas
Definition Primera persona del singular (yo) del pretérito imperfecto de indicativo de pensar. Segunda persona del singular (tú, vos) del pretérito imperfecto de indicativo de pensar.

Where the eye mixes pensaba and pensabas

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence. pensaba runs 7 letters (CVCCVCV) against pensabas's 8 (CVCCVCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.

7 ch
pensaba
8 ch
pensabas

Visual trap between pensaba and pensabas

A purely visual mix-up. pensaba ([pẽnˈsaβ̞a]) and pensabas ([pẽnˈsaβ̞as]) 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 extra letter(s) - “pensaba” sits inside “pensabas”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 20564, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

pensaba is recorded at frequency rank #2,221, classified as averb, pronounced [pẽnˈsaβ̞a]. pensabas is at rank #18,343, tagged as averb, pronounced [pẽnˈsaβ̞as].

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 20564, this pair ranks #258,762 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of pensaba vs pensabas

Shared letters: abenps. Private to "pensaba": -. Private to "pensabas": -.

"pensaba" · 7 letters · shape CVCCVCV  ·  "pensabas" · 8 letters · shape CVCCVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • pensaba ← epnsaba · penasba · pennsaba · pensaab · pensabba · pensava · pensbaa · penssaba
  • pensabas ← epnsabas · penasbas · pennsabas · pensaabs · pensabass · pensabbas · pensabsa · pensavas

Frequently Asked Questions

Do "pensaba" and "pensabas" mean the same thing in a sentence?
No. They are said differently ([pẽnˈsaβ̞a] versus [pẽnˈsaβ̞as]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "pensaba" or "pensabas"?
"pensaba" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #2,221 in our Spanish list, against #18,343 for "pensabas". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Useful next steps

Eye-level mix-up between "pensaba" and "pensabas" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.

  • Full dictionary entry for "pensaba" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "pensabas" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #258,762 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "pensaba" and "pensabas" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "pensabas vs pensadas". 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 #258,762 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