alargarvsalegarWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#22,563
“alargar” frequency rank
#19,612
“alegar” frequency rank
42175
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature alargar alegar
Definition Dar más longitud a una cosa. Expresar o citar argumentos a favor o en contra de algo o alguien.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set alargar and alegar apart are highlighted. They share 5 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

7 ch
alargar
6 ch
alegar

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. alargar ([alaɾˈɣ̞aɾ]) and alegar ([aleˈɣ̞aɾ]) 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 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 42175, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

alargar is recorded at frequency rank #22,563, classified as averb, pronounced [alaɾˈɣ̞aɾ]. alegar is at rank #19,612, tagged as averb, pronounced [aleˈɣ̞aɾ].

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 42175, this pair ranks #149,707 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of alargar vs alegar

Shared letters: aglr. Private to "alargar": -. Private to "alegar": e.

"alargar" · 7 letters · shape VCVCCVC  ·  "alegar" · 6 letters · shape VCVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • alargaraalrgar · alagrar · alaragr · alargarr · alarggar · alargra · alarrgar · allargar
  • alegaraelgar · aleagr · alegarr · aleggar · algear · allegar · laegar

Frequency comparison

alargar#22,563
alegar#19,612

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "alargar" and "alegar" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([alaɾˈɣ̞aɾ] versus [aleˈɣ̞aɾ]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "alargar" or "alegar"?
"alegar" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #19,612 in our Spanish list, against #22,563 for "alargar". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering alargar vs alegar

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “alargar” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list