Which to use
“alcanzada” is an adjective and “alcanzan” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #24,368
- “alcanzada” frequency rank
- #8,214
- “alcanzan” frequency rank
- 32582
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | alcanzada | alcanzan |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Forma del femenino de alcanzado. | Tercera persona del plural (ellos, ellas; ustedes, 2.ª persona) del presente de indicativo de alcanzar o de alcanzarse. |
Where the eye mixes alcanzada and alcanzan
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence. alcanzada runs 9 letters (VCCVCCVCV) against alcanzan's 8 (VCCVCCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Visual trap between alcanzada and alcanzan
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: alcanzada is [alkãnˈsað̞a] while alcanzan is [alˈkãnsãn]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (adjective vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 32582, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
alcanzada is recorded at frequency rank #24,368, classified as anadj, pronounced [alkãnˈsað̞a]. alcanzan is at rank #8,214, tagged as averb, pronounced [alˈkãnsãn].
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 32582, this pair ranks #201,240 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of alcanzada vs alcanzan
Shared letters: aclnz. Private to "alcanzada": d. Private to "alcanzan": -.
"alcanzada" · 9 letters · shape VCCVCCVCV · "alcanzan" · 8 letters · shape VCCVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "alcanzada" for "alcanzan" ever safe?
Which is more common, "alcanzada" or "alcanzan"?
Useful next steps
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "alcanzada" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "alcanzan" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #201,240 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "alcanzada" and "alcanzan" 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 #201,240 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.