imaginarvsimaginateWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#3,189
“imaginar” frequency rank
#19,443
“imaginate” frequency rank
22632
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature imaginar imaginate
Definition Representar en la mente algo que no existe o que no está presente. Segunda persona del singular (vos) del imperativo afirmativo de imaginarse (con el pronombre enclítico).

Where the spellings diverge

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

8 ch
imaginar
9 ch
imaginate

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. imaginar ([imaxiˈnaɾ]) and imaginate ([imaxiˈnat̪e]) 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 22632, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

imaginar is recorded at frequency rank #3,189, classified as averb, pronounced [imaxiˈnaɾ]. imaginate is at rank #19,443, tagged as averb, pronounced [imaxiˈnat̪e].

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 22632, this pair ranks #249,438 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of imaginar vs imaginate

Shared letters: agimn. Private to "imaginar": r. Private to "imaginate": et.

"imaginar" · 8 letters · shape VCVCVCVC  ·  "imaginate" · 9 letters · shape VCVCVCVCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • imaginariamginar · imagginar · imagianr · imaginarr · imaginnar · imaginra · imagniar · imaignar
  • imaginateiamginate · imagginate · imagiante · imaginaet · imaginatte · imaginnate · imagintae · imagniate

Frequency comparison

imaginar#3,189
imaginate#19,443

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "imaginar" and "imaginate" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([imaxiˈnaɾ] versus [imaxiˈnat̪e]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "imaginar" or "imaginate"?
"imaginar" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #3,189 in our Spanish list, against #19,443 for "imaginate". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering imaginar vs imaginate

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 “imaginar” 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 FrequencyWords open word-frequency list