ajustavsajustarTell them apart

Which to use

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

#14,050
“ajusta” frequency rank
#10,257
“ajustar” frequency rank
24307
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature ajusta ajustar
Definition Tercera persona del singular (él, ella, ello; usted, 2.ª persona) del presente de indicativo de ajustar o de ajustarse. Modificar hasta llevar a la forma o tamaño justo o adecuado, en particular para permitir que case o que no discrepe con otra cosa, o que sus partes se acoplen bien.

Where the eye mixes ajusta and ajustar

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence. ajusta runs 6 letters (VCVCCV) against ajustar's 7 (VCVCCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.

6 ch
ajusta
7 ch
ajustar

Look-alike desk: ajusta vs ajustar

A purely visual mix-up. ajusta ([aˈxust̪a]) and ajustar ([axusˈt̪aɾ]) 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 1 extra letter(s) - “ajusta” sits inside “ajustar”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 24307, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

ajusta is recorded at frequency rank #14,050, classified as averb, pronounced [aˈxust̪a]. ajustar is at rank #10,257, tagged as averb, pronounced [axusˈt̪aɾ].

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 24307, this pair ranks #241,763 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of ajusta vs ajustar

Shared letters: ajstu. Private to "ajusta": -. Private to "ajustar": r.

"ajusta" · 6 letters · shape VCVCCV  ·  "ajustar" · 7 letters · shape VCVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • ajusta ← ajjusta · ajsuta · ajusat · ajussta · ajustta · ajutsa · aujsta · jausta
  • ajustar ← ajjustar · ajsutar · ajusatr · ajusstar · ajustarr · ajustra · ajusttar · ajutsar

Frequently Asked Questions

Is swapping "ajusta" for "ajustar" ever safe?
No. They are said differently ([aˈxust̪a] versus [axusˈt̪aɾ]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "ajusta" or "ajustar"?
"ajustar" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #10,257 in our Spanish list, against #14,050 for "ajusta". 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 "ajusta" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "ajustar" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #241,763 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "ajusta" and "ajustar" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "ajusta vs alista". 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 #241,763 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