Which to use
“regresaba” and “regresaban” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #19,543
- “regresaba” frequency rank
- #34,307
- “regresaban” frequency rank
- 53850
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | regresaba | regresaban |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Primera persona del singular (yo) del pretérito imperfecto de indicativo de regresar o de regresarse. | Tercera persona del plural (ellos, ellas; ustedes, 2.ª persona) del pretérito imperfecto de indicativo de regresar. |
Where the eye mixes regresaba and regresaban
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 9 letters in sequence. regresaba runs 9 letters (CVCCVCVCV) against regresaban's 10 (CVCCVCVCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Visual trap between regresaba and regresaban
A purely visual mix-up. regresaba ([reɣ̞ɾeˈsaβ̞a]) and regresaban ([reɣ̞ɾeˈsaβ̞ãn]) 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) - “regresaba” sits inside “regresaban”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 53850, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
regresaba is recorded at frequency rank #19,543, classified as averb, pronounced [reɣ̞ɾeˈsaβ̞a]. regresaban is at rank #34,307, tagged as averb, pronounced [reɣ̞ɾeˈsaβ̞ãn].
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 53850, this pair ranks #85,943 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of regresaba vs regresaban
Shared letters: abegrs. Private to "regresaba": -. Private to "regresaban": n.
"regresaba" · 9 letters · shape CVCCVCVCV · "regresaban" · 10 letters · shape CVCCVCVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- regresaba ← ergresaba · regersaba · reggresaba · regreasba · regresaab · regresabba · regresava · regresbaa
- regresaban ← ergresaban · regersaban · reggresaban · regreasban · regresaabn · regresabann · regresabban · regresabna
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "regresaba" for "regresaban" ever safe?
In ordinary Spanish text, does "regresaba" or "regresaban" show up more?
Useful next steps
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "regresaba" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "regresaban" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #85,943 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "regresaba" and "regresaban" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "regresaban vs regresarán". 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 #85,943 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.