Which to use
“quemaba” and “quemaban” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #38,331
- “quemaba” frequency rank
- #45,541
- “quemaban” frequency rank
- 83872
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | quemaba | quemaban |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Primera persona del singular (yo) del pretérito imperfecto de indicativo de quemar o de quemarse. | Tercera persona del plural (ellos, ellas; ustedes, 2.ª persona) del pretérito imperfecto de indicativo de quemar. |
Where the eye mixes quemaba and quemaban
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses quemaba with quemaban
A purely visual mix-up. quemaba ([keˈmaβ̞a]) 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 extra letter(s) - “quemaba” sits inside “quemaban”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 83872, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
quemaba is recorded at frequency rank #38,331, classified as averb, pronounced [keˈmaβ̞a]. 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 83872, this pair ranks #7,640 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of quemaba vs quemaban
Shared letters: abemqu. Private to "quemaba": -. Private to "quemaban": n.
"quemaba" · 7 letters · shape CVVCVCV · "quemaban" · 8 letters · shape CVVCVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "quemaba" and "quemaban" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Which is more common, "quemaba" or "quemaban"?
After this comparison
Eye-level mix-up between "quemaba" and "quemaban" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "quemaba" 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 #7,640 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "quemaba" 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 #7,640 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.