alcanzavsalcanzadoWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: alcanza is a verb, alcanzado is an adjective, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“alcanza” is a verb and “alcanzado” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#2,917
“alcanza” frequency rank
#4,967
“alcanzado” frequency rank
7884
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature alcanza alcanzado
Definition Tercera persona del singular (él, ella, ello; usted, 2.ª persona) del presente de indicativo de alcanzar o de alcanzarse. Que tiene muchas deudas y/o insuficiente dinero.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set alcanza and alcanzado apart are highlighted. They share 7 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

7 ch
alcanza
9 ch
alcanzado

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

alcanza and alcanzado form a confusable pair in the Spanish index, two distinct headwords that are easily confused because they look alike, sound alike, or both. They differ by 2 extra letter(s) - “alcanza” sits inside “alcanzado” - close enough that the eye skips over the difference, far enough that meaning fully diverges. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 7884, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

alcanza is recorded at frequency rank #2,917, classified as averb, pronounced [alˈkãnsa]. alcanzado is at rank #4,967, tagged as anadj, pronounced [alkãnˈsað̞o].

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 7884, this pair ranks #306,642 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Frequency comparison

alcanza#2,917
alcanzado#4,967

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "alcanza" and "alcanzado" be used interchangeably?
No, "alcanza" and "alcanzado" have distinct meanings and cannot be swapped without changing the meaning of a sentence. Understanding the specific definition and context for each word is essential for correct usage.

Remembering alcanza vs alcanzado

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “alcanza”; for an adjective, it's “alcanzado”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “alcanza” 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 FrequencyWords open word-frequency list