Which to use
“pensaban” and “pesaba” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #10,549
- “pensaban” frequency rank
- #21,106
- “pesaba” frequency rank
- 31655
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | pensaban | pesaba |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Tercera persona del plural (ellos, ellas; ustedes, 2.ª persona) del pretérito imperfecto de indicativo de pensar. | Primera persona del singular (yo) del pretérito imperfecto de indicativo de pesar. |
Where the eye mixes pensaban and pesaba
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence. pensaban runs 8 letters (CVCCVCVC) against pesaba's 6 (CVCVCV) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses pensaban with pesaba
A purely visual mix-up. pensaban ([pẽnˈsaβ̞ãn]) and pesaba ([peˈsaβ̞a]) 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 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 31655, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
pensaban is recorded at frequency rank #10,549, classified as averb, pronounced [pẽnˈsaβ̞ãn]. pesaba is at rank #21,106, tagged as averb, pronounced [peˈsaβ̞a].
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 31655, this pair ranks #205,985 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of pensaban vs pesaba
Shared letters: abeps. Private to "pensaban": n. Private to "pesaba": -.
"pensaban" · 8 letters · shape CVCCVCVC · "pesaba" · 6 letters · shape CVCVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "pensaban" and "pesaba" be used interchangeably?
Frequency check: "pensaban" vs "pesaba" - which ranks higher?
After this comparison
Eye-level mix-up between "pensaban" and "pesaba" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "pensaban" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "pesaba" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #205,985 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "pensaban" and "pesaba" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "pesaba vs pisada". 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 #205,985 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.