Which to use
“utiliza” and “utilizaba” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #1,966
- “utiliza” frequency rank
- #16,472
- “utilizaba” frequency rank
- 18438
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | utiliza | utilizaba |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Tercera persona del singular (él, ella, ello; usted, 2.ª persona) del presente de indicativo de utilizar. | Primera persona del singular (yo) del pretérito imperfecto de indicativo de utilizar. |
Where the eye mixes utiliza and utilizaba
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence. utiliza runs 7 letters (VCVCVCV) against utilizaba's 9 (VCVCVCVCV) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Look-alike desk: utiliza vs utilizaba
A purely visual mix-up. utiliza ([ut̪iˈlisa]) and utilizaba ([ut̪iliˈsaβ̞a]) 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 extra letter(s) - “utiliza” sits inside “utilizaba”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 18438, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
utiliza is recorded at frequency rank #1,966, classified as averb, pronounced [ut̪iˈlisa]. utilizaba is at rank #16,472, tagged as averb, pronounced [ut̪iliˈsaβ̞a].
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 18438, this pair ranks #267,909 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of utiliza vs utilizaba
Shared letters: ailtuz. Private to "utiliza": -. Private to "utilizaba": b.
"utiliza" · 7 letters · shape VCVCVCV · "utilizaba" · 9 letters · shape VCVCVCVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "utiliza" for "utilizaba" ever safe?
Frequency check: "utiliza" vs "utilizaba" - which ranks higher?
What to do next
Eye-level mix-up between "utiliza" and "utilizaba" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "utiliza" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "utilizaba" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #267,909 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "utiliza" and "utilizaba" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "utilizaba vs utilizaría". 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 #267,909 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.