Which to use
“quedaba” and “quejaban” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #4,106
- “quedaba” frequency rank
- #38,330
- “quejaban” frequency rank
- 42436
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | quedaba | quejaban |
|---|---|---|
| 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 pretérito imperfecto de indicativo de quejar. |
Where the eye mixes quedaba and quejaban
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses quedaba with quejaban
A purely visual mix-up. quedaba ([keˈð̞aβ̞a]) and quejaban ([keˈxaβ̞ãn]) 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 42436, 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]. quejaban is at rank #38,330, tagged as averb, pronounced [keˈxaβ̞ãn].
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 42436, this pair ranks #148,217 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of quedaba vs quejaban
Shared letters: abequ. Private to "quedaba": d. Private to "quejaban": jn.
"quedaba" · 7 letters · shape CVVCVCV · "quejaban" · 8 letters · shape CVVCVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "quedaba" for "quejaban" ever safe?
Which is more common, "quedaba" or "quejaban"?
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 "quejaban" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #148,217 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "quedaba" and "quejaban" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "quejaban vs quitaban". 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 #148,217 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.