trabajabavstrabajadoTell them apart

Which to use

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

#4,467
“trabajaba” frequency rank
#3,369
“trabajado” frequency rank
7836
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature trabajaba trabajado
Definition Primera persona del singular (yo) del pretérito imperfecto de indicativo de trabajar. Participio de trabajar.

Where the eye mixes trabajaba and trabajado

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence. trabajaba and trabajado follow the identical consonant-vowel pattern (CCVCVCVCV). Same shape at a glance is often the real trap, independent of shared letters.

9 ch
trabajaba
9 ch
trabajado

Look-alike desk: trabajaba vs trabajado

A purely visual mix-up. trabajaba ([t̪ɾaβ̞aˈxaβ̞a]) and trabajado ([t̪ɾaβ̞aˈxað̞o]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 7836, 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]. trabajado is at rank #3,369, tagged as averb, pronounced [t̪ɾaβ̞aˈxað̞o].

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 7836, this pair ranks #306,787 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of trabajaba vs trabajado

Shared letters: abjrt. Private to "trabajaba": -. Private to "trabajado": do.

"trabajaba" · 9 letters · shape CCVCVCVCV  ·  "trabajado" · 9 letters · shape CCVCVCVCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • trabajaba ← rtabajaba · tarbajaba · traabjaba · trabaajba · trabajaab · trabajabba · trabajbaa · trabajjaba
  • trabajado ← rtabajado · tarbajado · traabjado · trabaajdo · trabajaddo · trabajaod · trabajdao · trabajjado

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "trabajaba" and "trabajado" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([t̪ɾaβ̞aˈxaβ̞a] versus [t̪ɾaβ̞aˈxað̞o]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "trabajaba" or "trabajado"?
"trabajado" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #3,369 in our Spanish list, against #4,467 for "trabajaba". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

What to do next

Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.

  • Full dictionary entry for "trabajaba" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "trabajado" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #306,787 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "trabajaba" and "trabajado" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "trabajado vs trabajados". 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 #306,787 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