alejanvsaléjateWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#21,553
“alejan” frequency rank
#30,329
“aléjate” frequency rank
51882
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature alejan aléjate
Definition Tercera persona del plural (ellos, ellas; ustedes, 2.ª persona) del presente de indicativo de alejar o de alejarse. Segunda persona del singular (tú) del imperativo afirmativo de alejarse (con el pronombre enclítico).

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set alejan and aléjate apart are highlighted. They share 4 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

6 ch
alejan
7 ch
aléjate

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. alejan ([aˈlexãn]) and aléjate ([aˈlexat̪e]) 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 51882, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

alejan is recorded at frequency rank #21,553, classified as averb, pronounced [aˈlexãn]. aléjate is at rank #30,329, tagged as averb, pronounced [aˈlexat̪e].

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 51882, this pair ranks #95,534 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of alejan vs aléjate

Shared letters: aejl. Private to "alejan": n. Private to "aléjate": .

"alejan" · 6 letters · shape VCVCVC  ·  "aléjate" · 7 letters · shape VCVCVCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • alejanaeljan · aleajn · alejann · alejjan · alejna · aljean · allejan · laejan

Frequency comparison

alejan#21,553
aléjate#30,329

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "alejan" and "aléjate" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([aˈlexãn] versus [aˈlexat̪e]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "alejan" or "aléjate"?
"alejan" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #21,553 in our Spanish list, against #30,329 for "aléjate". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering alejan vs aléjate

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 “alejan” 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