Which to use
“alcanzaba” is a verb and “alcanzada” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #16,749
- “alcanzaba” frequency rank
- #24,368
- “alcanzada” frequency rank
- 41117
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | alcanzaba | alcanzada |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Primera persona del singular (yo) del pretérito imperfecto de indicativo de alcanzar o de alcanzarse. | Forma del femenino de alcanzado. |
Where the eye mixes alcanzaba and alcanzada
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 8 letters in sequence. alcanzaba and alcanzada follow the identical consonant-vowel pattern (VCCVCCVCV). Same shape at a glance is often the real trap, independent of shared letters.
Visual trap between alcanzaba and alcanzada
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: alcanzaba is [alkãnˈsaβ̞a] while alcanzada is [alkãnˈsað̞a]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by a single letter - b in “alcanzaba” becomes d in “alcanzada”, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 41117, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
alcanzaba is recorded at frequency rank #16,749, classified as averb, pronounced [alkãnˈsaβ̞a]. alcanzada is at rank #24,368, tagged as anadj, pronounced [alkãnˈsað̞a].
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 41117, this pair ranks #155,437 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of alcanzaba vs alcanzada
Shared letters: aclnz. Private to "alcanzaba": b. Private to "alcanzada": d.
"alcanzaba" · 9 letters · shape VCCVCCVCV · "alcanzada" · 9 letters · shape VCCVCCVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "alcanzaba" and "alcanzada" be used interchangeably?
Frequency check: "alcanzaba" vs "alcanzada" - which ranks higher?
After this comparison
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "alcanzaba" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "alcanzada" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #155,437 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "alcanzaba" and "alcanzada" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "alcanzada vs alcanzas". 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 #155,437 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.