Which to use
“sabemos” and “sabíamos” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #921
- “sabemos” frequency rank
- #9,535
- “sabíamos” frequency rank
- 10456
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | sabemos | sabíamos |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Primera persona del plural (nosotros, nosotras) del presente de indicativo de saber. | Primera persona del plural (nosotros, nosotras) del pretérito imperfecto de indicativo de saber. |
Where the eye mixes sabemos and sabíamos
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence. sabemos runs 7 letters (CVCVCVC) against sabíamos's 8 (CVCVVCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Look-alike desk: sabemos vs sabíamos
A purely visual mix-up. sabemos ([saˈβ̞emos]) and sabíamos ([saˈβ̞iamos]) 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 10456, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
sabemos is recorded at frequency rank #921, classified as averb, pronounced [saˈβ̞emos]. sabíamos is at rank #9,535, tagged as averb, pronounced [saˈβ̞iamos].
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 10456, this pair ranks #298,549 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of sabemos vs sabíamos
Shared letters: abmos. Private to "sabemos": e. Private to "sabíamos": í.
"sabemos" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCVC · "sabíamos" · 8 letters · shape CVCVVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- sabemos ← asbemos · sabbemos · sabemmos · sabemoss · sabemso · sabeoms · sabmeos · saebmos
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "sabemos" for "sabíamos" ever safe?
Frequency check: "sabemos" vs "sabíamos" - which ranks higher?
Useful next steps
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "sabemos" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "sabíamos" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #298,549 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "sabemos" and "sabíamos" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "sabíamos vs sabríamos". 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 #298,549 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.