Which to use
“prima” is a noun and “primera” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #3,284
- “prima” frequency rank
- #177
- “primera” frequency rank
- 3461
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | prima | primera |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Cantidad de dinero que se da a alguien como incentivo a cambio de cumplir ciertas condiciones en un trabajo. | De una sucesión de cosas la que ocurre o tiene lugar antes que las demás. Forma femenina de primero. |
Where the eye mixes prima and primera
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence.
Look-alike desk: prima vs primera
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: prima is [ˈpɾima] while primera is [pɾiˈmeɾa]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 2 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (noun vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 3461, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
prima is recorded at frequency rank #3,284, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈpɾima]. primera is at rank #177, tagged as anadj, pronounced [pɾiˈmeɾa].
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 3461, this pair ranks #318,259 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of prima vs primera
Shared letters: aimpr. Private to "prima": -. Private to "primera": e.
"prima" · 5 letters · shape CCVCV · "primera" · 7 letters · shape CCVCVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "prima" and "primera" mean the same thing in a sentence?
In ordinary Spanish text, does "prima" or "primera" show up more?
Useful next steps
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "prima" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "primera" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #318,259 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "prima" and "primera" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "prima vs prius". Nearby pair
- Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes
Confusion rank #318,259 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.