Which to use
“portaba” and “portar” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #30,192
- “portaba” frequency rank
- #18,045
- “portar” frequency rank
- 48237
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | portaba | portar |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Primera persona del singular (yo) del pretérito imperfecto de indicativo de portar o de portarse. | Llevar algo apoyado en el cuerpo o con la mano. :*Uso: formal |
Where the eye mixes portaba and portar
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence. portaba runs 7 letters (CVCCVCV) against portar's 6 (CVCCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses portaba with portar
A purely visual mix-up. portaba ([poɾˈt̪aβ̞a]) and portar ([poɾˈt̪aɾ]) 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 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 48237, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
portaba is recorded at frequency rank #30,192, classified as averb, pronounced [poɾˈt̪aβ̞a]. portar is at rank #18,045, tagged as averb, pronounced [poɾˈt̪aɾ].
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 48237, this pair ranks #115,594 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of portaba vs portar
Shared letters: aoprt. Private to "portaba": b. Private to "portar": -.
"portaba" · 7 letters · shape CVCCVCV · "portar" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "portaba" and "portar" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Which is more common, "portaba" or "portar"?
What to do next
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "portaba" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "portar" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #115,594 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "portaba" and "portar" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "portaba vs portazo". 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 #115,594 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.