alegavsalertWhat's the difference?

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

Which to use

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

#18,434
“alega” frequency rank
#40,114
“alert” frequency rank
58548
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature alega alert
Definition Tercera persona del singular (él, ella, ello; usted, 2.ª persona) del presente de indicativo de alegar. Alerta.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set alega and alert apart are highlighted. They share 3 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

5 ch
alega
5 ch
alert

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: alega is [aˈleɣ̞a] while alert is /əˈlɜːt/. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 58548, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

alega is recorded at frequency rank #18,434, classified as averb, pronounced [aˈleɣ̞a]. alert is at rank #40,114, tagged as anadj, pronounced /əˈlɜːt/.

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 58548, this pair ranks #66,067 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of alega vs alert

Shared letters: ael. Private to "alega": g. Private to "alert": rt.

"alega" · 5 letters · shape VCVCV  ·  "alert" · 5 letters · shape VCVCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • alegaaelga · aleag · alegga · algea · allega · laega
  • alertaelrt · alerrt · alertt · allert · alret · laert

Frequency comparison

alega#18,434
alert#40,114

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "alega" and "alert" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "alega" is a verb and "alert" an adjective, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "alega" or "alert"?
"alega" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #18,434 in our Spanish list, against #40,114 for "alert". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering alega vs alert

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “alega”; for an adjective, it's “alert”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “alega” 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