limitedvslimitenWhat's the difference?

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

Which to use

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

#21,736
“limited” frequency rank
#43,685
“limiten” frequency rank
65421
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature limited limiten
Definition Con ciertos (frecuentemente especificados) límites puestos sobre este. 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 limited and limiten apart are highlighted. They share 6 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

7 ch
limited
7 ch
limiten

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: limited is /ˈlɪm.ɪ.tɪd/ while limiten is [liˈmit̪ẽn]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by a single letter - d in “limited” becomes n in “limiten”, and the parts of speech differ too (adjective vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 65421, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

limited is recorded at frequency rank #21,736, classified as anadj, pronounced /ˈlɪm.ɪ.tɪd/. 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 65421, this pair ranks #42,684 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of limited vs limiten

Shared letters: eilmt. Private to "limited": d. Private to "limiten": n.

"limited" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCVC  ·  "limiten" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • limitedilmited · liimted · limietd · limitde · limitedd · limitted · limmited · limtied
  • limitenilmiten · liimten · limietn · limitenn · limitne · limitten · limmiten · limtien

Frequency comparison

limited#21,736
limiten#43,685

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "limited" and "limiten" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "limited" is an adjective and "limiten" a verb, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "limited" or "limiten"?
"limited" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #21,736 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 limited vs limiten

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

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