aprobarvsarrojarWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#5,069
“aprobar” frequency rank
#14,069
“arrojar” frequency rank
19138
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature aprobar arrojar
Definition Dar por bueno o conforme algo. Lanzar, tirar, impeler o impulsar con fuerza algo, de modo que se mueva cierta distancia como consecuencia.

Where the spellings diverge

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

7 ch
aprobar
7 ch
arrojar

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. aprobar ([apɾoˈβ̞aɾ]) and arrojar ([aroˈxaɾ]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 19138, 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]. arrojar is at rank #14,069, tagged as averb, pronounced [aroˈxaɾ].

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 19138, this pair ranks #265,038 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of aprobar vs arrojar

Shared letters: aor. Private to "aprobar": bp. Private to "arrojar": j.

"aprobar" · 7 letters · shape VCCVCVC  ·  "arrojar" · 7 letters · shape VCCVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • aprobaraporbar · approbar · aprboar · aproabr · aprobarr · aprobbar · aprobra · aprovar
  • arrojararojar · arorjar · arrjoar · arroajr · arrojarr · arrojjar · arrojra · rarojar

Frequency comparison

aprobar#5,069
arrojar#14,069

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "aprobar" and "arrojar" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([apɾoˈβ̞aɾ] versus [aroˈxaɾ]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "aprobar" or "arrojar"?
"aprobar" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #5,069 in our Spanish list, against #14,069 for "arrojar". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering aprobar vs arrojar

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