Which to use
“preocupa” and “preocupaba” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #2,682
- “preocupa” frequency rank
- #16,682
- “preocupaba” frequency rank
- 19364
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | preocupa | preocupaba |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Tercera persona del singular (él, ella, ello; usted, 2.ª persona) del presente de indicativo de preocupar o de preocuparse. | Primera persona del singular (yo) del pretérito imperfecto de indicativo de preocupar o de preocuparse. |
Where the eye mixes preocupa and preocupaba
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 8 letters in sequence. preocupa runs 8 letters (CCVVCVCV) against preocupaba's 10 (CCVVCVCVCV) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Visual trap between preocupa and preocupaba
A purely visual mix-up. preocupa ([pɾeoˈkupa]) and preocupaba ([pɾeokuˈpaβ̞a]) 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 2 extra letter(s) - “preocupa” sits inside “preocupaba”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 19364, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
preocupa is recorded at frequency rank #2,682, classified as averb, pronounced [pɾeoˈkupa]. preocupaba is at rank #16,682, tagged as averb, pronounced [pɾeokuˈpaβ̞a].
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 19364, this pair ranks #264,070 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of preocupa vs preocupaba
Shared letters: aceopru. Private to "preocupa": -. Private to "preocupaba": b.
"preocupa" · 8 letters · shape CCVVCVCV · "preocupaba" · 10 letters · shape CCVVCVCVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
- preocupa ← perocupa · ppreocupa · precoupa · preoccupa · preocpua · preocuap · preocuppa · preoucpa
- preocupaba ← perocupaba · ppreocupaba · precoupaba · preoccupaba · preocpuaba · preocuapba · preocupaab · preocupabba
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "preocupa" and "preocupaba" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Frequency check: "preocupa" vs "preocupaba" - which ranks higher?
What to do next
Eye-level mix-up between "preocupa" and "preocupaba" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "preocupa" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "preocupaba" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #264,070 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "preocupa" and "preocupaba" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "preocupaba vs preocupaban". 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 #264,070 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.