Which to use
“por” is a preposition and “pri” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #12
- “por” frequency rank
- #3,949
- “pri” frequency rank
- 3961
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | por | pri |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Indica el complemento agente en la voz pasiva. | Arcilla. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set por and pri apart are highlighted. They share 2 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
por and pri form a confusable pair in the Spanish index, two distinct headwords that are easily confused because they look alike, sound alike, or both. They share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions - close enough that the eye skips over the difference, far enough that meaning fully diverges. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 3961, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
por is recorded at frequency rank #12, classified as aprep, pronounced [poɾ]. pri is at rank #3,949, tagged as anoun, pronounced /ˈpriː/.
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 3961, this pair ranks #317,191 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "por" and "pri" be used interchangeably?
Remembering por vs pri
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a preposition, it's “por”; for a noun, it's “pri”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “por” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable