Which to use
“quejaba” and “quemaban” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #21,456
- “quejaba” frequency rank
- #45,541
- “quemaban” frequency rank
- 66997
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | quejaba | quemaban |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Primera persona del singular (yo) del pretérito imperfecto de indicativo de quejar o de quejarse. | Tercera persona del plural (ellos, ellas; ustedes, 2.ª persona) del pretérito imperfecto de indicativo de quemar. |
Where the eye mixes quejaba and quemaban
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence. quejaba 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.
Visual trap between quejaba and quemaban
A purely visual mix-up. quejaba ([keˈxaβ̞a]) 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 66997, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
quejaba is recorded at frequency rank #21,456, classified as averb, pronounced [keˈxaβ̞a]. 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 66997, this pair ranks #38,297 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of quejaba vs quemaban
Shared letters: abequ. Private to "quejaba": j. Private to "quemaban": mn.
"quejaba" · 7 letters · shape CVVCVCV · "quemaban" · 8 letters · shape CVVCVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "quejaba" and "quemaban" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Which is more common, "quejaba" or "quemaban"?
Useful next steps
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "quejaba" 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 #38,297 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "quejaba" 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 #38,297 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.