limitanvslimitenWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#12,854
“limitan” frequency rank
#43,685
“limiten” frequency rank
56539
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature limitan limiten
Definition Tercera persona del plural (ellos, ellas; ustedes, 2.ª persona) del presente de indicativo de limitar o de limitarse. Tercera persona del plural (ellos, ellas; ustedes, 2.ª persona) del presente de subjuntivo de limitar o de limitarse.

Where the spellings diverge

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

7 ch
limitan
7 ch
limiten

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. limitan ([liˈmit̪ãn]) and limiten ([liˈmit̪ẽn]) 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 - a in “limitan” becomes e in “limiten”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 56539, 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]. limiten is at rank #43,685, tagged as averb, pronounced [liˈmit̪ẽn].

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 56539, this pair ranks #74,203 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of limitan vs limiten

Shared letters: ilmnt. Private to "limitan": a. Private to "limiten": e.

"limitan" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCVC  ·  "limiten" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • limitanilmitan · liimtan · limiatn · limitann · limitna · limittan · limmitan · limtian
  • limitenilmiten · liimten · limietn · limitenn · limitne · limitten · limmiten · limtien

Frequency comparison

limitan#12,854
limiten#43,685

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "limitan" and "limiten" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([liˈmit̪ãn] versus [liˈmit̪ẽn]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "limitan" or "limiten"?
"limitan" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #12,854 in our Spanish list, against #43,685 for "limiten". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering limitan vs limiten

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