limitanvslimitarWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#12,854
“limitan” frequency rank
#8,138
“limitar” frequency rank
20992
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature limitan limitar
Definition Tercera persona del plural (ellos, ellas; ustedes, 2.ª persona) del presente de indicativo de limitar o de limitarse. Poner límites a alguna cosa; señalarlos; reducir su extensión.

Where the spellings diverge

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

7 ch
limitan
7 ch
limitar

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. limitan ([liˈmit̪ãn]) and limitar ([limiˈt̪aɾ]) 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 a single letter - n in “limitan” becomes r in “limitar”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 20992, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

limitan is recorded at frequency rank #12,854, classified as averb, pronounced [liˈmit̪ãn]. limitar is at rank #8,138, tagged as averb, pronounced [limiˈt̪aɾ].

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 20992, this pair ranks #256,877 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of limitan vs limitar

Shared letters: ailmt. Private to "limitan": n. Private to "limitar": r.

"limitan" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCVC  ·  "limitar" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • limitanilmitan · liimtan · limiatn · limitann · limitna · limittan · limmitan · limtian
  • limitarilmitar · liimtar · limiatr · limitarr · limitra · limittar · limmitar · limtiar

Frequency comparison

limitan#12,854
limitar#8,138

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "limitan" and "limitar" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([liˈmit̪ãn] versus [limiˈt̪aɾ]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "limitan" or "limitar"?
"limitar" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #8,138 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 limitan vs limitar

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 “limitan” 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