permitirvspermitirseWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#2,411
“permitir” frequency rank
#16,935
“permitirse” frequency rank
19346
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature permitir permitirse
Definition Dar su consentimiento quien tenga autoridad competente, para que otros hagan de dejen de hacer algo. Dar permiso o autorización de hacer algo.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set permitir and permitirse apart are highlighted. They share 8 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

8 ch
permitir
10 ch
permitirse

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. permitir ([peɾmiˈt̪iɾ]) and permitirse ([peɾmiˈt̪iɾse]) 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 2 extra letter(s) - “permitir” sits inside “permitirse”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 19346, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

permitir is recorded at frequency rank #2,411, classified as averb, pronounced [peɾmiˈt̪iɾ]. permitirse is at rank #16,935, tagged as averb, pronounced [peɾmiˈt̪iɾse].

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 19346, this pair ranks #264,170 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of permitir vs permitirse

Shared letters: eimprt. Private to "permitir": -. Private to "permitirse": s.

"permitir" · 8 letters · shape CVCCVCVC  ·  "permitirse" · 10 letters · shape CVCCVCVCCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • permitireprmitir · pemritir · perimtir · permiitr · permitirr · permitri · permittir · permmitir
  • permitirseeprmitirse · pemritirse · perimtirse · permiitrse · permitirce · permitires · permitirrse · permitirsse

Frequency comparison

permitir#2,411
permitirse#16,935

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "permitir" and "permitirse" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([peɾmiˈt̪iɾ] versus [peɾmiˈt̪iɾse]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "permitir" or "permitirse"?
"permitir" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #2,411 in our Spanish list, against #16,935 for "permitirse". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering permitir vs permitirse

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 “permitir” 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