tocabavstomabaWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#8,063
“tocaba” frequency rank
#8,886
“tomaba” frequency rank
16949
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature tocaba tomaba
Definition Primera persona del singular (yo) del pretérito imperfecto de indicativo de tocar. Primera persona del singular (yo) del pretérito imperfecto de indicativo de tomar o de tomarse.

Where the eye mixes tocaba and tomaba

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence.

6 ch
tocaba
6 ch
tomaba

Look-alike desk: tocaba vs tomaba

A purely visual mix-up. tocaba ([t̪oˈkaβ̞a]) and tomaba ([t̪oˈmaβ̞a]) 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 a single letter - c in “tocaba” becomes m in “tomaba”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 16949, 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]. tomaba is at rank #8,886, tagged as averb, pronounced [t̪oˈmaβ̞a].

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 16949, this pair ranks #274,130 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of tocaba vs tomaba

Shared letters: abot. Private to "tocaba": c. Private to "tomaba": m.

"tocaba" · 6 letters · shape CVCVCV  ·  "tomaba" · 6 letters · shape CVCVCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • tocabaotcaba · tcoaba · toacba · tocaab · tocabba · tocava · tocbaa · toccaba
  • tomabaotmaba · tmoaba · toamba · tomaab · tomabba · tomava · tombaa · tommaba

Frequently Asked Questions

Do "tocaba" and "tomaba" mean the same thing in a sentence?
No. They are said differently ([t̪oˈkaβ̞a] versus [t̪oˈmaβ̞a]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "tocaba" or "tomaba"?
"tocaba" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #8,063 in our Spanish list, against #8,886 for "tomaba". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

After this comparison

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 "tomaba" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #274,130 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "tocaba" and "tomaba" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "tomaba vs tomb". 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 #274,130 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list