quedabavsquedanConfusable pair

Which to use

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

#4,106
“quedaba” frequency rank
#1,271
“quedan” frequency rank
5377
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature quedaba quedan
Definition Primera persona del singular (yo) del pretérito imperfecto de indicativo de quedar o de quedarse. Tercera persona del plural (ellos, ellas; ustedes, 2.ª persona) del presente de indicativo de quedar o de quedarse.

Where the eye mixes quedaba and quedan

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence.

7 ch
quedaba
6 ch
quedan

Visual trap between quedaba and quedan

A purely visual mix-up. quedaba ([keˈð̞aβ̞a]) and quedan ([ˈkeð̞ãn]) 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 5377, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

quedaba is recorded at frequency rank #4,106, classified as averb, pronounced [keˈð̞aβ̞a]. quedan is at rank #1,271, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈkeð̞ãn].

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 5377, this pair ranks #313,774 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of quedaba vs quedan

Shared letters: adequ. Private to "quedaba": b. Private to "quedan": n.

"quedaba" · 7 letters · shape CVVCVCV  ·  "quedan" · 6 letters · shape CVVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • quedabaqeudaba · qquedaba · qudeaba · queadba · quedaab · quedabba · quedava · quedbaa
  • quedanqeudan · qquedan · qudean · queadn · quedann · queddan · quedna · uqedan

Frequently Asked Questions

Do "quedaba" and "quedan" mean the same thing in a sentence?
No. They are said differently ([keˈð̞aβ̞a] versus [ˈkeð̞ãn]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "quedaba" or "quedan"?
"quedan" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #1,271 in our Spanish list, against #4,106 for "quedaba". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

What to do next

Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.

  • Full dictionary entry for "quedaba" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "quedan" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #313,774 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "quedaba" and "quedan" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "quedaba vs quedáis". 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 #313,774 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