Which to use
“sabían” and “sobran” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #4,834
- “sabían” frequency rank
- #12,717
- “sobran” frequency rank
- 17551
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | sabían | sobran |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Tercera persona del plural (ellos, ellas; ustedes, 2.ª persona) del pretérito imperfecto de indicativo de saber. | Tercera persona del plural (ellos, ellas; ustedes, 2.ª persona) del presente de indicativo de sobrar. |
Where the eye mixes sabían and sobran
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence. sabían (CVCVVC) and sobran (CVCCVC) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Visual trap between sabían and sobran
A purely visual mix-up. sabían ([saˈβ̞iãn]) and sobran ([ˈsoβ̞ɾãn]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 17551, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
sabían is recorded at frequency rank #4,834, classified as averb, pronounced [saˈβ̞iãn]. sobran is at rank #12,717, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈsoβ̞ɾãn].
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 17551, this pair ranks #271,659 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of sabían vs sobran
Shared letters: abns. Private to "sabían": í. Private to "sobran": or.
"sabían" · 6 letters · shape CVCVVC · "sobran" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- sobran ← osbran · sboran · sobarn · sobbran · sobrann · sobrna · sobrran · sorban
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "sabían" and "sobran" be used interchangeably?
In ordinary Spanish text, does "sabían" or "sobran" show up more?
After this comparison
Eye-level mix-up between "sabían" and "sobran" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "sabían" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "sobran" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #271,659 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "sabían" and "sobran" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "sobran vs soplan". 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 #271,659 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.