Which to use
“preguntaba” and “preguntan” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #6,812
- “preguntaba” frequency rank
- #4,640
- “preguntan” frequency rank
- 11452
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | preguntaba | preguntan |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Primera persona del singular (yo) del pretérito imperfecto de indicativo de preguntar. | Tercera persona del plural (ellos, ellas; ustedes, 2.ª persona) del presente de indicativo de preguntar o de preguntarse. |
Where the eye mixes preguntaba and preguntan
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 8 letters in sequence. preguntaba runs 10 letters (CCVCVCCVCV) against preguntan's 9 (CCVCVCCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Look-alike desk: preguntaba vs preguntan
A purely visual mix-up. preguntaba ([pɾeɣ̞ũn̪ˈt̪aβ̞a]) and preguntan ([pɾeˈɣ̞ũn̪t̪ãn]) 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 11452, 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]. preguntan is at rank #4,640, tagged as averb, pronounced [pɾeˈɣ̞ũn̪t̪ãn].
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 11452, this pair ranks #295,069 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of preguntaba vs preguntan
Shared letters: aegnprtu. Private to "preguntaba": b. Private to "preguntan": -.
"preguntaba" · 10 letters · shape CCVCVCCVCV · "preguntan" · 9 letters · shape CCVCVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- preguntaba ← perguntaba · ppreguntaba · pregguntaba · pregnutaba · pregunatba · pregunntaba · preguntaab · preguntabba
- preguntan ← perguntan · ppreguntan · pregguntan · pregnutan · pregunatn · pregunntan · preguntann · preguntna
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "preguntaba" and "preguntan" be used interchangeably?
Frequency check: "preguntaba" vs "preguntan" - which ranks higher?
Useful next steps
Eye-level mix-up between "preguntaba" and "preguntan" 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 "preguntan" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #295,069 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "preguntaba" and "preguntan" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "preguntaba 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 #295,069 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.