prohíbavsprohíbenWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#38,903
“prohíba” frequency rank
#23,558
“prohíben” frequency rank
62461
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature prohíba prohíben
Definition Primera persona del singular (yo) del presente de subjuntivo de prohibir. Tercera persona del plural (ellos, ellas; ustedes, 2.ª persona) del presente de indicativo de prohibir.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set prohíba and prohíben apart are highlighted. They share 6 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

7 ch
prohíba
8 ch
prohíben

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. prohíba ([pɾoˈiβ̞a]) and prohíben ([pɾoˈiβ̞ẽn]) 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 62461, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

prohíba is recorded at frequency rank #38,903, classified as averb, pronounced [pɾoˈiβ̞a]. prohíben is at rank #23,558, tagged as averb, pronounced [pɾoˈiβ̞ẽn].

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 62461, this pair ranks #51,950 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of prohíba vs prohíben

Shared letters: bhoprí. Private to "prohíba": a. Private to "prohíben": en.

"prohíba" · 7 letters · shape CCVCVCV  ·  "prohíben" · 8 letters · shape CCVCVCVC

Frequency comparison

prohíba#38,903
prohíben#23,558

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "prohíba" and "prohíben" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([pɾoˈiβ̞a] versus [pɾoˈiβ̞ẽn]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "prohíba" or "prohíben"?
"prohíben" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #23,558 in our Spanish list, against #38,903 for "prohíba". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering prohíba vs prohíben

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 “prohíba” 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