robabavsrobabanWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#30,240
“robaba” frequency rank
#39,439
“robaban” frequency rank
69679
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature robaba robaban
Definition Primera persona del singular (yo) del pretérito imperfecto de indicativo de robar. Tercera persona del plural (ellos, ellas; ustedes, 2.ª persona) del pretérito imperfecto de indicativo de robar.

Where the eye mixes robaba and robaban

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence.

6 ch
robaba
7 ch
robaban

Why the eye confuses robaba with robaban

A purely visual mix-up. robaba ([roˈβ̞aβ̞a]) and robaban ([roˈβ̞aβ̞ãn]) 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) - “robaba” sits inside “robaban”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 69679, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

robaba is recorded at frequency rank #30,240, classified as averb, pronounced [roˈβ̞aβ̞a]. robaban is at rank #39,439, tagged as averb, pronounced [roˈβ̞aβ̞ãn].

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 69679, this pair ranks #31,447 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of robaba vs robaban

Shared letters: abor. Private to "robaba": -. Private to "robaban": n.

"robaba" · 6 letters · shape CVCVCV  ·  "robaban" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • robabaorbaba · rboaba · roabba · robaab · robabba · robbaa · robbaba · rovava
  • robabanorbaban · rboaban · roabban · robaabn · robabann · robabban · robabna · robbaan

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "robaba" and "robaban" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([roˈβ̞aβ̞a] versus [roˈβ̞aβ̞ãn]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Frequency check: "robaba" vs "robaban" - which ranks higher?
"robaba" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #30,240 in our Spanish list, against #39,439 for "robaban". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

After this comparison

Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.

  • Full dictionary entry for "robaba" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "robaban" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #31,447 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "robaba" and "robaban" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "robaba vs Rosana". 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 #31,447 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