quedabavsquedareWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#4,106
“quedaba” frequency rank
#41,572
“quedare” frequency rank
45678
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature quedaba quedare
Definition Primera persona del singular (yo) del pretérito imperfecto de indicativo de quedar o de quedarse. Primera persona del singular (yo) del futuro de subjuntivo de quedar o de quedarse.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set quedaba and quedare apart are highlighted. They share 5 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

7 ch
quedaba
7 ch
quedare

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. quedaba ([keˈð̞aβ̞a]) and quedare ([keˈð̞aɾe]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 45678, 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]. quedare is at rank #41,572, tagged as averb, pronounced [keˈð̞aɾe].

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 45678, this pair ranks #130,053 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of quedaba vs quedare

Shared letters: adequ. Private to "quedaba": b. Private to "quedare": r.

"quedaba" · 7 letters · shape CVVCVCV  ·  "quedare" · 7 letters · shape CVVCVCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • quedabaqeudaba · qquedaba · qudeaba · queadba · quedaab · quedabba · quedava · quedbaa
  • quedareqeudare · qquedare · qudeare · queadre · quedaer · quedarre · queddare · quedrae

Frequency comparison

quedaba#4,106
quedare#41,572

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "quedaba" and "quedare" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([keˈð̞aβ̞a] versus [keˈð̞aɾe]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "quedaba" or "quedare"?
"quedaba" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #4,106 in our Spanish list, against #41,572 for "quedare". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

Remembering quedaba vs quedare

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “quedaba” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list