Which to use
“quedaba” and “quemaban” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #4,106
- “quedaba” frequency rank
- #45,541
- “quemaban” frequency rank
- 49647
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | quedaba | quemaban |
|---|---|---|
| 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 quemar. |
Where the eye mixes quedaba and quemaban
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence. quedaba runs 7 letters (CVVCVCV) against quemaban's 8 (CVVCVCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Look-alike desk: quedaba vs quemaban
A purely visual mix-up. quedaba ([keˈð̞aβ̞a]) and quemaban ([keˈmaβ̞ãn]) 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 49647, 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]. quemaban is at rank #45,541, tagged as averb, pronounced [keˈmaβ̞ãn].
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 49647, this pair ranks #107,643 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of quedaba vs quemaban
Shared letters: abequ. Private to "quedaba": d. Private to "quemaban": mn.
"quedaba" · 7 letters · shape CVVCVCV · "quemaban" · 8 letters · shape CVVCVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "quedaba" for "quemaban" ever safe?
In ordinary Spanish text, does "quedaba" or "quemaban" show up more?
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 "quemaban" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #107,643 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "quedaba" and "quemaban" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "quemaban 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 #107,643 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.