Which to use
“trabajaba” is a verb and “trabajada” is a participle - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #4,467
- “trabajaba” frequency rank
- #35,792
- “trabajada” frequency rank
- 40259
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | trabajaba | trabajada |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Primera persona del singular (yo) del pretérito imperfecto de indicativo de trabajar. | Forma del femenino de trabajado, participio de trabajar. |
Where the eye mixes trabajaba and trabajada
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 8 letters in sequence. trabajaba and trabajada follow the identical consonant-vowel pattern (CCVCVCVCV). Same shape at a glance is often the real trap, independent of shared letters.
Why the eye confuses trabajaba with trabajada
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: trabajaba is [t̪ɾaβ̞aˈxaβ̞a] while trabajada is [t̪ɾaβ̞aˈxað̞a]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by a single letter - b in “trabajaba” becomes d in “trabajada”, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs participle), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 40259, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
trabajaba is recorded at frequency rank #4,467, classified as averb, pronounced [t̪ɾaβ̞aˈxaβ̞a]. trabajada is at rank #35,792, tagged as aparticiple, pronounced [t̪ɾaβ̞aˈxað̞a].
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 40259, this pair ranks #160,062 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of trabajaba vs trabajada
Shared letters: abjrt. Private to "trabajaba": -. Private to "trabajada": d.
"trabajaba" · 9 letters · shape CCVCVCVCV · "trabajada" · 9 letters · shape CCVCVCVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "trabajaba" for "trabajada" ever safe?
Which is more common, "trabajaba" or "trabajada"?
What to do next
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "trabajaba" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "trabajada" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #160,062 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "trabajaba" and "trabajada" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "trabada vs trabajada". 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 #160,062 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.