alegabavsalegarWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#47,531
“alegaba” frequency rank
#19,612
“alegar” frequency rank
67143
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature alegaba alegar
Definition Primera persona del singular (yo) del pretérito imperfecto de indicativo de alegar. 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 alegaba and alegar apart are highlighted. They share 5 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

7 ch
alegaba
6 ch
alegar

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. alegaba ([aleˈɣ̞aβ̞a]) 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 67143, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

alegaba is recorded at frequency rank #47,531, classified as averb, pronounced [aleˈɣ̞aβ̞a]. 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 67143, this pair ranks #37,929 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of alegaba vs alegar

Shared letters: aegl. Private to "alegaba": b. Private to "alegar": r.

"alegaba" · 7 letters · shape VCVCVCV  ·  "alegar" · 6 letters · shape VCVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • alegabaaelgaba · aleagba · alegaab · alegabba · alegava · alegbaa · aleggaba · algeaba
  • alegaraelgar · aleagr · alegarr · aleggar · algear · allegar · laegar

Frequency comparison

alegaba#47,531
alegar#19,612

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "alegaba" and "alegar" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([aleˈɣ̞aβ̞a] versus [aleˈɣ̞aɾ]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "alegaba" or "alegar"?
"alegar" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #19,612 in our Spanish list, against #47,531 for "alegaba". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering alegaba 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 “alegaba” 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