alimentarvsaumentarWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#7,510
“alimentar” frequency rank
#2,067
“aumentar” frequency rank
9577
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature alimentar aumentar
Definition Dar comida o alimentos. Hacer más grande una cantidad, número, extensión, volumen, importancia o magnitud.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set alimentar and aumentar apart are highlighted. They share 7 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

9 ch
alimentar
8 ch
aumentar

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. alimentar ([alimẽn̪ˈt̪aɾ]) and aumentar ([awmẽn̪ˈt̪aɾ]) 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 9577, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

alimentar is recorded at frequency rank #7,510, classified as averb, pronounced [alimẽn̪ˈt̪aɾ]. aumentar is at rank #2,067, tagged as averb, pronounced [awmẽn̪ˈt̪aɾ].

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 9577, this pair ranks #301,506 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of alimentar vs aumentar

Shared letters: aemnrt. Private to "alimentar": il. Private to "aumentar": u.

"alimentar" · 9 letters · shape VCVCVCCVC  ·  "aumentar" · 8 letters · shape VVCVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • alimentarailmentar · aliemntar · alimenatr · alimenntar · alimentarr · alimentra · alimenttar · alimetnar
  • aumentaramuentar · auemntar · aumenatr · aumenntar · aumentarr · aumentra · aumenttar · aumetnar

Frequency comparison

alimentar#7,510
aumentar#2,067

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "alimentar" and "aumentar" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([alimẽn̪ˈt̪aɾ] versus [awmẽn̪ˈt̪aɾ]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "alimentar" or "aumentar"?
"aumentar" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #2,067 in our Spanish list, against #7,510 for "alimentar". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering alimentar vs aumentar

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 “alimentar” 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