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 eye mixes prohíba and prohíben
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence. prohíba runs 7 letters (CCVCVCV) against prohíben's 8 (CCVCVCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses prohíba with prohíben
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
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "prohíba" for "prohíben" ever safe?
Which is more common, "prohíba" or "prohíben"?
What to do next
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "prohíba" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "prohíben" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #51,950 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "prohíba" and "prohíben" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "prohíba vs provida". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #51,950 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.