Which to use
“preocupaba” and “preocupaban” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #16,682
- “preocupaba” frequency rank
- #44,937
- “preocupaban” frequency rank
- 61619
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | preocupaba | preocupaban |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Primera persona del singular (yo) del pretérito imperfecto de indicativo de preocupar o de preocuparse. | Tercera persona del plural (ellos, ellas; ustedes, 2.ª persona) del pretérito imperfecto de indicativo de preocupar. |
Where the eye mixes preocupaba and preocupaban
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 10 letters in sequence. preocupaba runs 10 letters (CCVVCVCVCV) against preocupaban's 11 (CCVVCVCVCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Look-alike desk: preocupaba vs preocupaban
A purely visual mix-up. preocupaba ([pɾeokuˈpaβ̞a]) and preocupaban ([pɾeokuˈpaβ̞ãn]) 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) - “preocupaba” sits inside “preocupaban”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 61619, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
preocupaba is recorded at frequency rank #16,682, classified as averb, pronounced [pɾeokuˈpaβ̞a]. preocupaban is at rank #44,937, tagged as averb, pronounced [pɾeokuˈpaβ̞ãn].
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 61619, this pair ranks #54,814 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of preocupaba vs preocupaban
Shared letters: abceopru. Private to "preocupaba": -. Private to "preocupaban": n.
"preocupaba" · 10 letters · shape CCVVCVCVCV · "preocupaban" · 11 letters · shape CCVVCVCVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- preocupaba ← perocupaba · ppreocupaba · precoupaba · preoccupaba · preocpuaba · preocuapba · preocupaab · preocupabba
- preocupaban ← perocupaban · ppreocupaban · precoupaban · preoccupaban · preocpuaban · preocuapban · preocupaabn · preocupabann
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "preocupaba" and "preocupaban" be used interchangeably?
In ordinary Spanish text, does "preocupaba" or "preocupaban" show up more?
Useful next steps
Eye-level mix-up between "preocupaba" and "preocupaban" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "preocupaba" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "preocupaban" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #54,814 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "preocupaba" and "preocupaban" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "preocupaban vs preocuparon". 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 #54,814 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.