Which to use
“preguntaba” and “preguntaban” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #6,812
- “preguntaba” frequency rank
- #20,471
- “preguntaban” frequency rank
- 27283
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | preguntaba | preguntaban |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Primera persona del singular (yo) del pretérito imperfecto de indicativo de preguntar. | Tercera persona del plural (ellos, ellas; ustedes, 2.ª persona) del pretérito imperfecto de indicativo de preguntar. |
Where the eye mixes preguntaba and preguntaban
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 10 letters in sequence. preguntaba runs 10 letters (CCVCVCCVCV) against preguntaban's 11 (CCVCVCCVCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Look-alike desk: preguntaba vs preguntaban
A purely visual mix-up. preguntaba ([pɾeɣ̞ũn̪ˈt̪aβ̞a]) and preguntaban ([pɾeɣ̞ũn̪ˈt̪aβ̞ãn]) 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) - “preguntaba” sits inside “preguntaban”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 27283, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
preguntaba is recorded at frequency rank #6,812, classified as averb, pronounced [pɾeɣ̞ũn̪ˈt̪aβ̞a]. preguntaban is at rank #20,471, tagged as averb, pronounced [pɾeɣ̞ũn̪ˈt̪aβ̞ãn].
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 27283, this pair ranks #227,584 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of preguntaba vs preguntaban
Shared letters: abegnprtu. Private to "preguntaba": -. Private to "preguntaban": -.
"preguntaba" · 10 letters · shape CCVCVCCVCV · "preguntaban" · 11 letters · shape CCVCVCCVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- preguntaba ← perguntaba · ppreguntaba · pregguntaba · pregnutaba · pregunatba · pregunntaba · preguntaab · preguntabba
- preguntaban ← perguntaban · ppreguntaban · pregguntaban · pregnutaban · pregunatban · pregunntaban · preguntaabn · preguntabann
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "preguntaba" and "preguntaban" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Which is more common, "preguntaba" or "preguntaban"?
Useful next steps
Eye-level mix-up between "preguntaba" and "preguntaban" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "preguntaba" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "preguntaban" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #227,584 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "preguntaba" and "preguntaban" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "preguntaban vs preguntarán". 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 #227,584 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.