Which to use
“pensabas” is a verb and “pensada” is a participle - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #18,343
- “pensabas” frequency rank
- #18,639
- “pensada” frequency rank
- 36982
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | pensabas | pensada |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Segunda persona del singular (tú, vos) del pretérito imperfecto de indicativo de pensar. | Forma del femenino de pensado, participio de pensar. |
Where the eye mixes pensabas and pensada
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence. pensabas runs 8 letters (CVCCVCVC) against pensada's 7 (CVCCVCV) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses pensabas with pensada
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: pensabas is [pẽnˈsaβ̞as] while pensada is [pẽnˈsað̞a]. 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 36982, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
pensabas is recorded at frequency rank #18,343, classified as averb, pronounced [pẽnˈsaβ̞as]. pensada is at rank #18,639, tagged as aparticiple, pronounced [pẽnˈsað̞a].
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 36982, this pair ranks #177,776 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of pensabas vs pensada
Shared letters: aenps. Private to "pensabas": b. Private to "pensada": d.
"pensabas" · 8 letters · shape CVCCVCVC · "pensada" · 7 letters · shape CVCCVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "pensabas" for "pensada" ever safe?
In ordinary Spanish text, does "pensabas" or "pensada" show up more?
Useful next steps
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "pensabas" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "pensada" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #177,776 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "pensabas" and "pensada" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "pensada vs puntada". 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 #177,776 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.