Which to use
“trabajaban” and “trabajan” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #11,503
- “trabajaban” frequency rank
- #2,750
- “trabajan” frequency rank
- 14253
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | trabajaban | trabajan |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Tercera persona del plural (ellos, ellas; ustedes, 2.ª persona) del pretérito imperfecto de indicativo de trabajar. | Tercera persona del plural (ellos, ellas; ustedes, 2.ª persona) del presente de indicativo de trabajar. |
Where the eye mixes trabajaban and trabajan
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 8 letters in sequence. trabajaban runs 10 letters (CCVCVCVCVC) against trabajan's 8 (CCVCVCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Look-alike desk: trabajaban vs trabajan
A purely visual mix-up. trabajaban ([t̪ɾaβ̞aˈxaβ̞ãn]) and trabajan ([t̪ɾaˈβ̞axãn]) 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 14253, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
trabajaban is recorded at frequency rank #11,503, classified as averb, pronounced [t̪ɾaβ̞aˈxaβ̞ãn]. trabajan is at rank #2,750, tagged as averb, pronounced [t̪ɾaˈβ̞axãn].
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 14253, this pair ranks #284,837 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of trabajaban vs trabajan
Shared letters: abjnrt. Private to "trabajaban": -. Private to "trabajan": -.
"trabajaban" · 10 letters · shape CCVCVCVCVC · "trabajan" · 8 letters · shape CCVCVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- trabajaban ← rtabajaban · tarbajaban · traabjaban · trabaajban · trabajaabn · trabajabann · trabajabban · trabajabna
- trabajan ← rtabajan · tarbajan · traabjan · trabaajn · trabajann · trabajjan · trabajna · trabbajan
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "trabajaban" for "trabajan" ever safe?
Which is more common, "trabajaban" or "trabajan"?
Useful next steps
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "trabajaban" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "trabajan" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #284,837 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "trabajaban" and "trabajan" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "trabada vs trabajan". 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 #284,837 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.