aleganvsalegrarWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#30,322
“alegan” frequency rank
#32,486
“alegrar” frequency rank
62808
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature alegan alegrar
Definition Tercera persona del plural (ellos, ellas; ustedes, 2.ª persona) del presente de indicativo de alegar. Causar alegría.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set alegan and alegrar apart are highlighted. They share 5 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

6 ch
alegan
7 ch
alegrar

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. alegan ([aˈleɣ̞ãn]) and alegrar ([aleˈɣ̞ɾaɾ]) 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 62808, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

alegan is recorded at frequency rank #30,322, classified as averb, pronounced [aˈleɣ̞ãn]. alegrar is at rank #32,486, tagged as averb, pronounced [aleˈɣ̞ɾaɾ].

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 62808, this pair ranks #50,775 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of alegan vs alegrar

Shared letters: aegl. Private to "alegan": n. Private to "alegrar": r.

"alegan" · 6 letters · shape VCVCVC  ·  "alegrar" · 7 letters · shape VCVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • aleganaelgan · aleagn · alegann · aleggan · alegna · algean · allegan · laegan
  • alegraraelgrar · aleggrar · alegrarr · alegrrar · alergar · algerar · allegrar · laegrar

Frequency comparison

alegan#30,322
alegrar#32,486

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "alegan" and "alegrar" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([aˈleɣ̞ãn] versus [aleˈɣ̞ɾaɾ]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "alegan" or "alegrar"?
"alegan" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #30,322 in our Spanish list, against #32,486 for "alegrar". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering alegan vs alegrar

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 “alegan” 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