limitadovslimitanWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: limitado is a adjective, limitan is a verb, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“limitado” is an adjective and “limitan” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#4,351
“limitado” frequency rank
#12,854
“limitan” frequency rank
17205
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature limitado limitan
Definition Que tiene un límite o fin. Tercera persona del plural (ellos, ellas; ustedes, 2.ª persona) del presente de indicativo de limitar o de limitarse.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set limitado and limitan apart are highlighted. They share 6 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

8 ch
limitado
7 ch
limitan

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: limitado is [limiˈt̪að̞o] while limitan is [liˈmit̪ãn]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (adjective vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 17205, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

limitado is recorded at frequency rank #4,351, classified as anadj, pronounced [limiˈt̪að̞o]. limitan is at rank #12,854, tagged as averb, pronounced [liˈmit̪ãn].

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 17205, this pair ranks #273,117 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of limitado vs limitan

Shared letters: ailmt. Private to "limitado": do. Private to "limitan": n.

"limitado" · 8 letters · shape CVCVCVCV  ·  "limitan" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • limitadoilmitado · liimtado · limiatdo · limitaddo · limitaod · limitdao · limittado · limmitado
  • limitanilmitan · liimtan · limiatn · limitann · limitna · limittan · limmitan · limtian

Frequency comparison

limitado#4,351
limitan#12,854

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "limitado" and "limitan" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "limitado" is an adjective and "limitan" a verb, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "limitado" or "limitan"?
"limitado" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #4,351 in our Spanish list, against #12,854 for "limitan". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering limitado vs limitan

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need an adjective, it's “limitado”; for a verb, it's “limitan”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “limitado” 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