Which to use
“quemaba” and “quemar” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #38,331
- “quemaba” frequency rank
- #5,659
- “quemar” frequency rank
- 43990
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | quemaba | quemar |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Primera persona del singular (yo) del pretérito imperfecto de indicativo de quemar o de quemarse. | Prender fuego y hacer que la cosa arda hasta consumirse total o parcialmente. |
Where the eye mixes quemaba and quemar
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence. quemaba runs 7 letters (CVVCVCV) against quemar's 6 (CVVCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Look-alike desk: quemaba vs quemar
A purely visual mix-up. quemaba ([keˈmaβ̞a]) and quemar ([keˈmaɾ]) 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 43990, 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]. quemar is at rank #5,659, tagged as averb, pronounced [keˈmaɾ].
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 43990, this pair ranks #139,536 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of quemaba vs quemar
Shared letters: aemqu. Private to "quemaba": b. Private to "quemar": r.
"quemaba" · 7 letters · shape CVVCVCV · "quemar" · 6 letters · shape CVVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "quemaba" and "quemar" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Frequency check: "quemaba" vs "quemar" - which ranks higher?
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 "quemaba" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "quemar" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #139,536 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "quemaba" and "quemar" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "quemaba vs quemaban". 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 #139,536 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.