alimentabavsalimentanWhat's the difference?

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 spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set alimentaba and alimentan apart are highlighted. They share 8 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

10 ch
alimentaba
9 ch
alimentan

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

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

  • alimentabaailmentaba · aliemntaba · alimenatba · alimenntaba · alimentaab · alimentabba · alimentava · alimentbaa
  • alimentanailmentan · aliemntan · alimenatn · alimenntan · alimentann · alimentna · alimenttan · alimetnan

Frequency comparison

alimentaba#39,040
alimentan#12,969

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "alimentaba" and "alimentan" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([alimẽn̪ˈt̪aβ̞a] versus [aliˈmẽn̪t̪ãn]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "alimentaba" or "alimentan"?
"alimentan" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #12,969 in our Spanish list, against #39,040 for "alimentaba". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering alimentaba vs alimentan

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 “alimentaba” 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