aprobarvsaprobéWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#5,069
“aprobar” frequency rank
#39,575
“aprobé” frequency rank
44644
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature aprobar aprobé
Definition Dar por bueno o conforme algo. Primera persona del singular (yo) del pretérito perfecto simple de indicativo de aprobar.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set aprobar and aprobé apart are highlighted. They share 5 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

7 ch
aprobar
6 ch
aprobé

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. aprobar ([apɾoˈβ̞aɾ]) and aprobé ([apɾoˈβ̞e]) 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 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 44644, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

aprobar is recorded at frequency rank #5,069, classified as averb, pronounced [apɾoˈβ̞aɾ]. aprobé is at rank #39,575, tagged as averb, pronounced [apɾoˈβ̞e].

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 44644, this pair ranks #135,916 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of aprobar vs aprobé

Shared letters: abopr. Private to "aprobar": -. Private to "aprobé": é.

"aprobar" · 7 letters · shape VCCVCVC  ·  "aprobé" · 6 letters · shape VCCVCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • aprobaraporbar · approbar · aprboar · aproabr · aprobarr · aprobbar · aprobra · aprovar

Frequency comparison

aprobar#5,069
aprobé#39,575

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "aprobar" and "aprobé" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([apɾoˈβ̞aɾ] versus [apɾoˈβ̞e]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "aprobar" or "aprobé"?
"aprobar" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #5,069 in our Spanish list, against #39,575 for "aprobé". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering aprobar vs aprobé

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 “aprobar” 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