Which to use
“alimenta” and “alimentaba” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #9,399
- “alimenta” frequency rank
- #39,040
- “alimentaba” frequency rank
- 48439
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | alimenta | alimentaba |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Tercera persona del singular (él, ella, ello; usted, 2.ª persona) del presente de indicativo de alimentar. | Primera persona del singular (yo) del pretérito imperfecto de indicativo de alimentar. |
Where the eye mixes alimenta and alimentaba
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 8 letters in sequence. alimenta runs 8 letters (VCVCVCCV) against alimentaba's 10 (VCVCVCCVCV) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Look-alike desk: alimenta vs alimentaba
A purely visual mix-up. alimenta ([aliˈmẽn̪t̪a]) and alimentaba ([alimẽn̪ˈt̪aβ̞a]) 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 2 extra letter(s) - “alimenta” sits inside “alimentaba”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 48439, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
alimenta is recorded at frequency rank #9,399, classified as averb, pronounced [aliˈmẽn̪t̪a]. alimentaba is at rank #39,040, tagged as averb, pronounced [alimẽn̪ˈt̪aβ̞a].
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 48439, this pair ranks #114,475 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of alimenta vs alimentaba
Shared letters: aeilmnt. Private to "alimenta": -. Private to "alimentaba": b.
"alimenta" · 8 letters · shape VCVCVCCV · "alimentaba" · 10 letters · shape VCVCVCCVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
- alimenta ← ailmenta · aliemnta · alimenat · alimennta · alimentta · alimetna · alimmenta · alimneta
- alimentaba ← ailmentaba · aliemntaba · alimenatba · alimenntaba · alimentaab · alimentabba · alimentava · alimentbaa
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "alimenta" for "alimentaba" ever safe?
In ordinary Spanish text, does "alimenta" or "alimentaba" show up more?
Useful next steps
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "alimenta" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "alimentaba" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #114,475 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "alimenta" and "alimentaba" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "alimentaba vs alimentadas". Nearby pair
- Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes
Confusion rank #114,475 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.