permitirvspersistirWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#2,411
“permitir” frequency rank
#36,742
“persistir” frequency rank
39153
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature permitir persistir
Definition Dar su consentimiento quien tenga autoridad competente, para que otros hagan de dejen de hacer algo. Permanecer a pesar de los intentos por que algo se vaya o desaparezca.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set permitir and persistir apart are highlighted. They share 7 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

8 ch
permitir
9 ch
persistir

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. permitir ([peɾmiˈt̪iɾ]) and persistir ([peɾsisˈt̪iɾ]) 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 39153, 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]. persistir is at rank #36,742, tagged as averb, pronounced [peɾsisˈt̪iɾ].

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 39153, this pair ranks #166,127 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of permitir vs persistir

Shared letters: eiprt. Private to "permitir": m. Private to "persistir": s.

"permitir" · 8 letters · shape CVCCVCVC  ·  "persistir" · 9 letters · shape CVCCVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • permitireprmitir · pemritir · perimtir · permiitr · permitirr · permitri · permittir · permmitir
  • persistireprsistir · percistir · perisstir · perrsistir · persisitr · persisstir · persistirr · persistri

Frequency comparison

permitir#2,411
persistir#36,742

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "permitir" and "persistir" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([peɾmiˈt̪iɾ] versus [peɾsisˈt̪iɾ]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "permitir" or "persistir"?
"permitir" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #2,411 in our Spanish list, against #36,742 for "persistir". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

Remembering permitir vs persistir

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