preguntabavspreguntasWhich spelling fits?

Which to use

“preguntaba” and “preguntas” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#6,812
“preguntaba” frequency rank
#832
“preguntas” frequency rank
7644
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature preguntaba preguntas
Definition Primera persona del singular (yo) del pretérito imperfecto de indicativo de preguntar. Segunda persona del singular (tú) del presente de indicativo de preguntar.

Where the eye mixes preguntaba and preguntas

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 8 letters in sequence. preguntaba runs 10 letters (CCVCVCCVCV) against preguntas's 9 (CCVCVCCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.

10 ch
preguntaba
9 ch
preguntas

Why the eye confuses preguntaba with preguntas

A purely visual mix-up. preguntaba ([pɾeɣ̞ũn̪ˈt̪aβ̞a]) and preguntas ([pɾeˈɣ̞ũn̪t̪as]) 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 7644, 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]. preguntas is at rank #832, tagged as averb, pronounced [pɾeˈɣ̞ũn̪t̪as].

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 7644, this pair ranks #307,372 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of preguntaba vs preguntas

Shared letters: aegnprtu. Private to "preguntaba": b. Private to "preguntas": s.

"preguntaba" · 10 letters · shape CCVCVCCVCV  ·  "preguntas" · 9 letters · shape CCVCVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • preguntaba ← perguntaba · ppreguntaba · pregguntaba · pregnutaba · pregunatba · pregunntaba · preguntaab · preguntabba
  • preguntas ← perguntas · ppreguntas · pregguntas · pregnutas · pregunats · pregunntas · preguntass · preguntsa

Frequently Asked Questions

Do "preguntaba" and "preguntas" mean the same thing in a sentence?
No. They are said differently ([pɾeɣ̞ũn̪ˈt̪aβ̞a] versus [pɾeˈɣ̞ũn̪t̪as]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Frequency check: "preguntaba" vs "preguntas" - which ranks higher?
"preguntas" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #832 in our Spanish list, against #6,812 for "preguntaba". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

What to do next

Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.

  • Full dictionary entry for "preguntaba" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "preguntas" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #307,372 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "preguntaba" and "preguntas" 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 #307,372 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list