saltabavssaltanWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#32,869
“saltaba” frequency rank
#17,283
“saltan” frequency rank
50152
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature saltaba saltan
Definition Primera persona del singular (yo) del pretérito imperfecto de indicativo de saltar. Tercera persona del plural (ellos, ellas; ustedes, 2.ª persona) del presente de indicativo de saltar.

Where the spellings diverge

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

7 ch
saltaba
6 ch
saltan

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. saltaba ([sal̪ˈt̪aβ̞a]) and saltan ([ˈsal̪t̪ãn]) 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 50152, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

saltaba is recorded at frequency rank #32,869, classified as averb, pronounced [sal̪ˈt̪aβ̞a]. saltan is at rank #17,283, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈsal̪t̪ãn].

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 50152, this pair ranks #104,805 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of saltaba vs saltan

Shared letters: alst. Private to "saltaba": b. Private to "saltan": n.

"saltaba" · 7 letters · shape CVCCVCV  ·  "saltan" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • saltabaasltaba · salatba · salltaba · saltaab · saltabba · saltava · saltbaa · salttaba
  • saltanasltan · salatn · salltan · saltann · saltna · salttan · satlan · slatan

Frequency comparison

saltaba#32,869
saltan#17,283

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "saltaba" and "saltan" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([sal̪ˈt̪aβ̞a] versus [ˈsal̪t̪ãn]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "saltaba" or "saltan"?
"saltan" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #17,283 in our Spanish list, against #32,869 for "saltaba". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering saltaba vs saltan

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “saltaba” 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