robadavsrobandoWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: robada is a participle, robando is a verb, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“robada” is a participle and “robando” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#17,537
“robada” frequency rank
#8,434
“robando” frequency rank
25971
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature robada robando
Definition Forma del femenino de robado, participio de robar. Gerundio de robar.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set robada and robando apart are highlighted. They share 5 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

6 ch
robada
7 ch
robando

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: robada is [roˈβ̞að̞a] while robando is [roˈβ̞ãn̪d̪o]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (participle vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 25971, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

robada is recorded at frequency rank #17,537, classified as aparticiple, pronounced [roˈβ̞að̞a]. robando is at rank #8,434, tagged as averb, pronounced [roˈβ̞ãn̪d̪o].

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 25971, this pair ranks #233,946 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of robada vs robando

Shared letters: abdor. Private to "robada": -. Private to "robando": n.

"robada" · 6 letters · shape CVCVCV  ·  "robando" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • robadaorbada · rboada · roabda · robaad · robadda · robbada · robdaa · rovada
  • robandoorbando · rboando · roabndo · robadno · robanddo · robanndo · robanod · robbando

Frequency comparison

robada#17,537
robando#8,434

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "robada" and "robando" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "robada" is a participle and "robando" a verb, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "robada" or "robando"?
"robando" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #8,434 in our Spanish list, against #17,537 for "robada". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering robada vs robando

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a participle, it's “robada”; for a verb, it's “robando”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “robada” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list