permitirvspermitoWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#2,411
“permitir” frequency rank
#18,931
“permito” frequency rank
21342
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature permitir permito
Definition Dar su consentimiento quien tenga autoridad competente, para que otros hagan de dejen de hacer algo. Primera persona del singular (yo) del presente de indicativo de permitir o de permitirse.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set permitir and permito apart are highlighted. They share 6 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

8 ch
permitir
7 ch
permito

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. permitir ([peɾmiˈt̪iɾ]) and permito ([peɾˈmit̪o]) 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 21342, 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]. permito is at rank #18,931, tagged as averb, pronounced [peɾˈmit̪o].

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 21342, this pair ranks #255,352 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of permitir vs permito

Shared letters: eimprt. Private to "permitir": -. Private to "permito": o.

"permitir" · 8 letters · shape CVCCVCVC  ·  "permito" · 7 letters · shape CVCCVCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • permitireprmitir · pemritir · perimtir · permiitr · permitirr · permitri · permittir · permmitir
  • permitoeprmito · pemrito · perimto · permiot · permitto · permmito · permtio · perrmito

Frequency comparison

permitir#2,411
permito#18,931

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "permitir" and "permito" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([peɾmiˈt̪iɾ] versus [peɾˈmit̪o]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "permitir" or "permito"?
"permitir" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #2,411 in our Spanish list, against #18,931 for "permito". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering permitir vs permito

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