probévsprohíbeWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#16,429
“probé” frequency rank
#10,199
“prohíbe” frequency rank
26628
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature probé prohíbe
Definition Primera persona del singular (yo) del pretérito perfecto simple de indicativo de probar. Tercera persona del singular (él, ella, ello; usted, 2.ª persona) del presente de indicativo de prohibir.

Where the eye mixes probé and prohíbe

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence. probé runs 5 letters (CCVCV) against prohíbe's 7 (CCVCVCV) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.

5 ch
probé
7 ch
prohíbe

Why the eye confuses probé with prohíbe

A purely visual mix-up. probé ([pɾoˈβ̞e]) and prohíbe ([pɾoˈiβ̞e]) 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 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 26628, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

probé is recorded at frequency rank #16,429, classified as averb, pronounced [pɾoˈβ̞e]. prohíbe is at rank #10,199, tagged as averb, pronounced [pɾoˈiβ̞e].

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 26628, this pair ranks #230,717 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of probé vs prohíbe

Shared letters: bopr. Private to "probé": é. Private to "prohíbe": ehí.

"probé" · 5 letters · shape CCVCV  ·  "prohíbe" · 7 letters · shape CCVCVCV

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "probé" and "prohíbe" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([pɾoˈβ̞e] versus [pɾoˈiβ̞e]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "probé" or "prohíbe"?
"prohíbe" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #10,199 in our Spanish list, against #16,429 for "probé". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

After this comparison

Eye-level mix-up between "probé" and "prohíbe" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.

  • Full dictionary entry for "probé" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "prohíbe" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #230,717 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "probé" and "prohíbe" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "probé vs probo". Nearby pair

Confusion rank #230,717 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list