prestarvsprestarseWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#5,550
“prestar” frequency rank
#46,746
“prestarse” frequency rank
52296
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature prestar prestarse
Definition Entregar a uno dinero u otra cosa para que por algún tiempo tenga el uso de ella, con la obligación de restituir igual cantidad o la cosa misma. Estar dispuesto a hacer o a aceptar algo.

Where the spellings diverge

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

7 ch
prestar
9 ch
prestarse

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. prestar ([pɾesˈt̪aɾ]) and prestarse ([pɾesˈt̪aɾse]) 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) - “prestar” sits inside “prestarse”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 52296, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

prestar is recorded at frequency rank #5,550, classified as averb, pronounced [pɾesˈt̪aɾ]. prestarse is at rank #46,746, tagged as averb, pronounced [pɾesˈt̪aɾse].

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 52296, this pair ranks #93,404 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of prestar vs prestarse

Shared letters: aeprst. Private to "prestar": -. Private to "prestarse": -.

"prestar" · 7 letters · shape CCVCCVC  ·  "prestarse" · 9 letters · shape CCVCCVCCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • prestarperstar · pprestar · presatr · presstar · prestarr · prestra · presttar · pretsar
  • prestarseperstarse · pprestarse · presatrse · presstarse · prestarce · prestares · prestarrse · prestarsse

Frequency comparison

prestar#5,550
prestarse#46,746

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "prestar" and "prestarse" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([pɾesˈt̪aɾ] versus [pɾesˈt̪aɾse]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "prestar" or "prestarse"?
"prestar" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #5,550 in our Spanish list, against #46,746 for "prestarse". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering prestar vs prestarse

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 “prestar” 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 FrequencyWords open word-frequency list