Which to use
“legitima” is a verb and “legítimo” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #25,336
- “legitima” frequency rank
- #7,450
- “legítimo” frequency rank
- 32786
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | legitima | legítimo |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Tercera persona del singular (él, ella, ello; usted, 2.ª persona) del presente de indicativo de legitimar. | Que se ajusta a la ley. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set legitima and legítimo apart are highlighted. They share 6 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
legitima and legítimo form a confusable pair in the Spanish index, two distinct headwords that are easily confused because they look alike, sound alike, or both. They share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions - close enough that the eye skips over the difference, far enough that meaning fully diverges. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 32786, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
legitima is recorded at frequency rank #25,336, classified as averb, pronounced [lexiˈt̪ima]. legítimo is at rank #7,450, tagged as anadj, pronounced [leˈxit̪imo].
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 32786, this pair ranks #200,192 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "legitima" and "legítimo" be used interchangeably?
Remembering legitima vs legítimo
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “legitima”; for an adjective, it's “legítimo”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “legitima” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable