Which to use
“alimenta” and “alimentar” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #9,399
- “alimenta” frequency rank
- #7,510
- “alimentar” frequency rank
- 16909
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | alimenta | alimentar |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Tercera persona del singular (él, ella, ello; usted, 2.ª persona) del presente de indicativo de alimentar. | Dar comida o alimentos. |
Where the eye mixes alimenta and alimentar
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 8 letters in sequence. alimenta runs 8 letters (VCVCVCCV) against alimentar's 9 (VCVCVCCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Look-alike desk: alimenta vs alimentar
A purely visual mix-up. alimenta ([aliˈmẽn̪t̪a]) and alimentar ([alimẽn̪ˈt̪aɾ]) 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 extra letter(s) - “alimenta” sits inside “alimentar”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 16909, 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]. alimentar is at rank #7,510, tagged as averb, pronounced [alimẽn̪ˈt̪aɾ].
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 16909, this pair ranks #274,298 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of alimenta vs alimentar
Shared letters: aeilmnt. Private to "alimenta": -. Private to "alimentar": r.
"alimenta" · 8 letters · shape VCVCVCCV · "alimentar" · 9 letters · shape VCVCVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "alimenta" and "alimentar" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "alimenta" or "alimentar"?
What to do next
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 "alimentar" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #274,298 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "alimenta" and "alimentar" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "alientan vs alimenta". 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 #274,298 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.