prohíbavspropinaWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: prohíba is a verb, propina is a noun, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“prohíba” is a verb and “propina” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#38,903
“prohíba” frequency rank
#17,254
“propina” frequency rank
56157
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature prohíba propina
Definition Primera persona del singular (yo) del presente de subjuntivo de prohibir. Pequeña cantidad de dinero que se da a cambio de un servicio además e independientemente del precio o salario convenido.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set prohíba and propina apart are highlighted. They share 4 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

7 ch
prohíba
7 ch
propina

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: prohíba is [pɾoˈiβ̞a] while propina is [pɾoˈpina]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 3 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 56157, 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]. propina is at rank #17,254, tagged as anoun, pronounced [pɾoˈpina].

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 56157, this pair ranks #75,799 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of prohíba vs propina

Shared letters: aopr. Private to "prohíba": bhí. Private to "propina": in.

"prohíba" · 7 letters · shape CCVCVCV  ·  "propina" · 7 letters · shape CCVCVCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • propinaporpina · ppropina · proipna · propian · propinna · propnia · proppina · prpoina

Frequency comparison

prohíba#38,903
propina#17,254

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "prohíba" and "propina" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "prohíba" is a verb and "propina" a noun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "prohíba" or "propina"?
"propina" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #17,254 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 propina

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “prohíba”; for a noun, it's “propina”.
  • 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