Which to use
“prohíba” and “prohibir” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #38,903
- “prohíba” frequency rank
- #6,104
- “prohibir” frequency rank
- 45007
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | prohíba | prohibir |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Primera persona del singular (yo) del presente de subjuntivo de prohibir. | Negar el permiso o la posibilidad para la ejecución de una acción (o modo de obrar) o para el uso, consumo o presencia de algo en determinadas circunstancias. |
Where the eye mixes prohíba and prohibir
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence.
Visual trap between prohíba and prohibir
A purely visual mix-up. prohíba ([pɾoˈiβ̞a]) and prohibir ([pɾojˈβ̞iɾ]) 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 45007, 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]. prohibir is at rank #6,104, tagged as averb, pronounced [pɾojˈβ̞iɾ].
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 45007, this pair ranks #133,876 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of prohíba vs prohibir
Shared letters: bhopr. Private to "prohíba": aí. Private to "prohibir": i.
"prohíba" · 7 letters · shape CCVCVCV · "prohibir" · 8 letters · shape CCVCVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- prohibir ← porhibir · pprohibir · prhoibir · prohbiir · prohhibir · prohibbir · prohibirr · prohibri
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "prohíba" for "prohibir" ever safe?
Which is more common, "prohíba" or "prohibir"?
After this comparison
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "prohíba" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "prohibir" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #133,876 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "prohíba" and "prohibir" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "prohíba vs provida". 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 #133,876 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.