pensabavspensadasWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: pensaba is a verb, pensadas is a participle, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“pensaba” is a verb and “pensadas” is a participle - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#2,221
“pensaba” frequency rank
#33,764
“pensadas” frequency rank
35985
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature pensaba pensadas
Definition Primera persona del singular (yo) del pretérito imperfecto de indicativo de pensar. Forma del femenino plural de pensado, participio de pensar.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set pensaba and pensadas apart are highlighted. They share 6 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

7 ch
pensaba
8 ch
pensadas

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: pensaba is [pẽnˈsaβ̞a] while pensadas is [pẽnˈsað̞as]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs participle), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 35985, 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]. pensadas is at rank #33,764, tagged as aparticiple, pronounced [pẽnˈsað̞as].

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 35985, this pair ranks #183,109 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of pensaba vs pensadas

Shared letters: aenps. Private to "pensaba": b. Private to "pensadas": d.

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

Known mistypes of this pair

  • pensabaepnsaba · penasba · pennsaba · pensaab · pensabba · pensava · pensbaa · penssaba
  • pensadasepnsadas · penasdas · pennsadas · pensaads · pensadass · pensaddas · pensadsa · pensdaas

Frequency comparison

pensaba#2,221
pensadas#33,764

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "pensaba" and "pensadas" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "pensaba" is a verb and "pensadas" a participle, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "pensaba" or "pensadas"?
"pensaba" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #2,221 in our Spanish list, against #33,764 for "pensadas". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

Remembering pensaba vs pensadas

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “pensaba”; for a participle, it's “pensadas”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “pensaba” 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