Which to use
“tocaba” and “tocan” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #8,063
- “tocaba” frequency rank
- #7,923
- “tocan” frequency rank
- 15986
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | tocaba | tocan |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Primera persona del singular (yo) del pretérito imperfecto de indicativo de tocar. | Tercera persona del plural (ellos, ellas; ustedes, 2.ª persona) del presente de indicativo de tocar. |
Where the eye mixes tocaba and tocan
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence.
Visual trap between tocaba and tocan
A purely visual mix-up. tocaba ([t̪oˈkaβ̞a]) and tocan ([ˈt̪okãn]) 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 15986, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
tocaba is recorded at frequency rank #8,063, classified as averb, pronounced [t̪oˈkaβ̞a]. tocan is at rank #7,923, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈt̪okãn].
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 15986, this pair ranks #277,976 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of tocaba vs tocan
Shared letters: acot. Private to "tocaba": b. Private to "tocan": n.
"tocaba" · 6 letters · shape CVCVCV · "tocan" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "tocaba" and "tocan" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Frequency check: "tocaba" vs "tocan" - which ranks higher?
Useful next steps
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "tocaba" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "tocan" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #277,976 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "tocaba" and "tocan" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "tacaño vs tocan". 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 #277,976 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.