Which to use
“señalaban” and “señalan” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #37,322
- “señalaban” frequency rank
- #7,360
- “señalan” frequency rank
- 44682
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | señalaban | señalan |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Tercera persona del plural (ellos, ellas; ustedes, 2.ª persona) del pretérito imperfecto de indicativo de señalar. | Tercera persona del plural (ellos, ellas; ustedes, 2.ª persona) del presente de indicativo de señalar. |
Where the eye mixes señalaban and señalan
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence. señalaban runs 9 letters (CVCVCVCVC) against señalan's 7 (CVCVCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses señalaban with señalan
A purely visual mix-up. señalaban ([seɲaˈlaβ̞ãn]) and señalan ([seˈɲalãn]) 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 2 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 44682, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
señalaban is recorded at frequency rank #37,322, classified as averb, pronounced [seɲaˈlaβ̞ãn]. señalan is at rank #7,360, tagged as averb, pronounced [seˈɲalãn].
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 44682, this pair ranks #135,691 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of señalaban vs señalan
Shared letters: aelnsñ. Private to "señalaban": b. Private to "señalan": -.
"señalaban" · 9 letters · shape CVCVCVCVC · "señalan" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "señalaban" and "señalan" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "señalaban" or "señalan"?
After this comparison
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "señalaban" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "señalan" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #135,691 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "señalaban" and "señalan" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "señalaban vs señaladas". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #135,691 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.