aprobarvsaprobóWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#5,069
“aprobar” frequency rank
#4,677
“aprobó” frequency rank
9746
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature aprobar aprobó
Definition Dar por bueno o conforme algo. Tercera persona del singular (él, ella, ello; usted, 2.ª persona) del pretérito perfecto simple de indicativo de aprobar.

Where the spellings diverge

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

7 ch
aprobar
6 ch
aprobó

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. aprobar ([apɾoˈβ̞aɾ]) and aprobó ([apɾoˈβ̞o]) 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 9746, 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]. aprobó is at rank #4,677, tagged as averb, pronounced [apɾoˈβ̞o].

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 9746, this pair ranks #300,955 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of aprobar vs aprobó

Shared letters: abopr. Private to "aprobar": -. Private to "aprobó": ó.

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

Known mistypes of this pair

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

Frequency comparison

aprobar#5,069
aprobó#4,677

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "aprobar" and "aprobó" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([apɾoˈβ̞aɾ] versus [apɾoˈβ̞o]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "aprobar" or "aprobó"?
"aprobó" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #4,677 in our Spanish list, against #5,069 for "aprobar". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering aprobar vs aprobó

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