prohíbevsprohibirWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#10,199
“prohíbe” frequency rank
#6,104
“prohibir” frequency rank
16303
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature prohíbe prohibir
Definition Tercera persona del singular (él, ella, ello; usted, 2.ª persona) del presente de indicativo 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 spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set prohíbe and prohibir apart are highlighted. They share 5 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

7 ch
prohíbe
8 ch
prohibir

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

prohíbe and prohibir form a confusable pair in the Spanish index, two distinct headwords that are easily confused because they look alike, sound alike, or both. They differ by 1 letter(s) in length - close enough that the eye skips over the difference, far enough that meaning fully diverges. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 16303, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

prohíbe is recorded at frequency rank #10,199, classified as averb, pronounced [pɾoˈiβ̞e]. 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 16303, this pair ranks #276,720 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Frequency comparison

prohíbe#10,199
prohibir#6,104

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "prohíbe" and "prohibir" be used interchangeably?
No, "prohíbe" and "prohibir" have distinct meanings and cannot be swapped without changing the meaning of a sentence. Understanding the specific definition and context for each word is essential for correct usage.

Remembering prohíbe vs prohibir

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 “prohíbe” 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 FrequencyWords open word-frequency list