quedabavsquitabaTell them apart

Which to use

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

#4,106
“quedaba” frequency rank
#29,807
“quitaba” frequency rank
33913
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature quedaba quitaba
Definition Primera persona del singular (yo) del pretérito imperfecto de indicativo de quedar o de quedarse. Primera persona del singular (yo) del pretérito imperfecto de indicativo de quitar o de quitarse.

Where the eye mixes quedaba and quitaba

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

7 ch
quedaba
7 ch
quitaba

Why the eye confuses quedaba with quitaba

A purely visual mix-up. quedaba ([keˈð̞aβ̞a]) and quitaba ([kiˈt̪aβ̞a]) 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 33913, 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]. quitaba is at rank #29,807, tagged as averb, pronounced [kiˈt̪aβ̞a].

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 33913, this pair ranks #194,217 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of quedaba vs quitaba

Shared letters: abqu. Private to "quedaba": de. Private to "quitaba": it.

"quedaba" · 7 letters · shape CVVCVCV  ·  "quitaba" · 7 letters · shape CVVCVCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • quedabaqeudaba · qquedaba · qudeaba · queadba · quedaab · quedabba · quedava · quedbaa
  • quitabaqiutaba · qquitaba · quiatba · quitaab · quitabba · quitava · quitbaa · quittaba

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "quedaba" and "quitaba" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([keˈð̞aβ̞a] versus [kiˈt̪aβ̞a]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "quedaba" or "quitaba"?
"quedaba" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #4,106 in our Spanish list, against #29,807 for "quitaba". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

After this comparison

Eye-level mix-up between "quedaba" and "quitaba" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.

  • Full dictionary entry for "quedaba" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "quitaba" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #194,217 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "quedaba" and "quitaba" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "quitaba 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 #194,217 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