alejabavsalejarWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#41,179
“alejaba” frequency rank
#15,531
“alejar” frequency rank
56710
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature alejaba alejar
Definition Primera persona del singular (yo) del pretérito imperfecto de indicativo de alejar o de alejarse. Poner o llevar lejos o a mayor distancia.

Where the spellings diverge

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

7 ch
alejaba
6 ch
alejar

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. alejaba ([aleˈxaβ̞a]) and alejar ([aleˈxaɾ]) 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 56710, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

alejaba is recorded at frequency rank #41,179, classified as averb, pronounced [aleˈxaβ̞a]. alejar is at rank #15,531, tagged as averb, pronounced [aleˈxaɾ].

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 56710, this pair ranks #73,450 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of alejaba vs alejar

Shared letters: aejl. Private to "alejaba": b. Private to "alejar": r.

"alejaba" · 7 letters · shape VCVCVCV  ·  "alejar" · 6 letters · shape VCVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • alejabaaeljaba · aleajba · alejaab · alejabba · alejava · alejbaa · alejjaba · aljeaba
  • alejaraeljar · aleajr · alejarr · alejjar · alejra · aljear · allejar · laejar

Frequency comparison

alejaba#41,179
alejar#15,531

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "alejaba" and "alejar" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([aleˈxaβ̞a] versus [aleˈxaɾ]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "alejaba" or "alejar"?
"alejar" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #15,531 in our Spanish list, against #41,179 for "alejaba". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering alejaba vs alejar

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 “alejaba” 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 FrequencyWords open word-frequency list