preferir

[pɾefeˈɾiɾ]

/[pɾefeˈɾiɾ]/ verb

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

The verdict

“preferir” has 12 generated spelling variants in the Spanish index at frequency #18,047. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#18,047
frequency rank, Spanish
6,028
“P” headwords
12
tracked misspellings
10
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Escoger entre varias alternativas según el gusto o la conveniencia.

Corpus desk

Index ES-preferir · preferir · Spanish

preferir · rank #18,047 · 12 variants · 10 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #18,047
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 10 pairs
  • VAR-MID 12 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 6,028
  • PHOTO-FINISH pose

Nearest frequency peer: pose (-1 rank slots)

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Pares de rango junto al imán ortográfico “preferir”

Misma franja de rareza: útil si un typo cae en un lema vecino

corpus weight

What this shows “preferir” está entre estos pares FrequencyWords; la profundidad de typo se mide aparte en el gráfico de distancia de edición.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

preferir vs prevenir
75% similar
preferir vs prefirió
75% similar
preferir vs preferís
75% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for preferir
PropertyValue
Headwordpreferir
LanguageSpanish
Part of speechVerb
IPA[pɾefeˈɾiɾ]
Letters8
Frequency rank#18,047
Misspellings tracked12
Confusable pairs10
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frecuencia del imán ortográfico “preferir”

Esta escala corre desde el núcleo del español cotidiano (izquierda) hasta el rastro de formas rara vez usadas (derecha).preferircae aquí:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

El eje es logarítmico: cada tick marca unas diez veces menos frecuencia. En la misma franja de rareza aparecen “pose” (#18,046), “portar” (#18,045), “problemático” (#18,049). Entre 6,028 lemas con “P”, “preferir” va en #18,047. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 12 spelling variants around preferir (IPA [pɾefeˈɾiɾ]), averb. Corpus frequency is #18,047 among 6,028 “P” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 12 likely wrong-spelling variants for preferir, with forms such as "perferir", "ppreferir", and "preefrir". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 10 confusable-pair relationships, "prevenir", "prefirió", "preferís", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

This headword's origin isn't recorded in our source data, so its spelling pattern is best understood through pronunciation rather than a traceable origin. The correct Spanish form is preferir, spelled P-R-E-F-E-R-I-R.

Definition

  1. 1
    Escoger entre varias alternativas según el gusto o la conveniencia.
  2. 2
    Considerar una opción más conveniente que otra

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • perferir
  • ppreferir
  • preefrir
  • prefeirr
  • preferirr
  • preferri
  • preferrir
  • prefferir
  • prefreir
  • prfeerir
  • prreferir
  • rpeferir

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of preferir - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

perferir2ppreferir1preefrir2prefeirr2preferirr1preferri2preferrir1prefferir1
Edit distance from "preferir"

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 Spanish corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "preferir"?
"preferir" is spelled P-R-E-F-E-R-I-R. The IPA pronunciation is [pɾefeˈɾiɾ].
What does "preferir" mean?
As a verb, "preferir" means: Escoger entre varias alternativas según el gusto o la conveniencia.
What words are commonly confused with "preferir"?
"preferir" is commonly confused with "prevenir", "prefirió", "preferís". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "preferir"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "preferir" is [pɾefeˈɾiɾ]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "preferir" come from?
"preferir" is a Spanish word. PlainSpell covers definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Similar Spanish words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "preferir", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked Spanish headwords with 8 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

platillo#18,044pintando#18,043Philippe#18,041quebrado#18,059

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (12 here; floor ≥5).

periódica12 variantsnaufragio12 variantsmostrará12 variantsmapuches12 variants

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list