Which to use
“quedaba” and “quédate” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #4,106
- “quedaba” frequency rank
- #5,554
- “quédate” frequency rank
- 9660
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | quedaba | quédate |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Primera persona del singular (yo) del pretérito imperfecto de indicativo de quedar o de quedarse. | Segunda persona del singular (tú) del imperativo afirmativo de quedarse (con el pronombre «te» enclítico). |
Where the eye mixes quedaba and quédate
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence. quedaba and quédate follow the identical consonant-vowel pattern (CVVCVCV). Same shape at a glance is often the real trap, independent of shared letters.
Visual trap between quedaba and quédate
A purely visual mix-up. quedaba ([keˈð̞aβ̞a]) and quédate ([ˈkeð̞at̪e]) 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 3 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 9660, 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]. quédate is at rank #5,554, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈkeð̞at̪e].
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 9660, this pair ranks #301,233 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of quedaba vs quédate
Shared letters: adequ. Private to "quedaba": b. Private to "quédate": té.
"quedaba" · 7 letters · shape CVVCVCV · "quédate" · 7 letters · shape CVVCVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
- quedaba ← qeudaba · qquedaba · qudeaba · queadba · quedaab · quedabba · quedava · quedbaa
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "quedaba" and "quédate" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Which is more common, "quedaba" or "quédate"?
Useful next steps
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 "quédate" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #301,233 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "quedaba" and "quédate" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "quedáis vs quédate". 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 #301,233 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.