Which to use
“alimentaba” and “alimentan” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #39,040
- “alimentaba” frequency rank
- #12,969
- “alimentan” frequency rank
- 52009
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | alimentaba | alimentan |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Primera persona del singular (yo) del pretérito imperfecto de indicativo de alimentar. | Tercera persona del plural (ellos, ellas; ustedes, 2.ª persona) del presente de indicativo de alimentar. |
Where the eye mixes alimentaba and alimentan
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 8 letters in sequence. alimentaba runs 10 letters (VCVCVCCVCV) against alimentan's 9 (VCVCVCCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Visual trap between alimentaba and alimentan
A purely visual mix-up. alimentaba ([alimẽn̪ˈt̪aβ̞a]) and alimentan ([aliˈmẽn̪t̪ãn]) 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 52009, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
alimentaba is recorded at frequency rank #39,040, classified as averb, pronounced [alimẽn̪ˈt̪aβ̞a]. alimentan is at rank #12,969, tagged as averb, pronounced [aliˈmẽn̪t̪ãn].
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 52009, this pair ranks #94,882 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of alimentaba vs alimentan
Shared letters: aeilmnt. Private to "alimentaba": b. Private to "alimentan": -.
"alimentaba" · 10 letters · shape VCVCVCCVCV · "alimentan" · 9 letters · shape VCVCVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- alimentaba ← ailmentaba · aliemntaba · alimenatba · alimenntaba · alimentaab · alimentabba · alimentava · alimentbaa
- alimentan ← ailmentan · aliemntan · alimenatn · alimenntan · alimentann · alimentna · alimenttan · alimetnan
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "alimentaba" and "alimentan" be used interchangeably?
Frequency check: "alimentaba" vs "alimentan" - which ranks higher?
Useful next steps
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "alimentaba" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "alimentan" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #94,882 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "alimentaba" and "alimentan" 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 #94,882 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.