Which to use
“prohibido” is an adjective and “prohibir” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #3,353
- “prohibido” frequency rank
- #6,104
- “prohibir” frequency rank
- 9457
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | prohibido | prohibir |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Que por ley, autoridad o estatuto no está consentido y es ilegítimo. Que no se permite. | 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 prohibido and prohibir apart are highlighted. They share 7 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
prohibido 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 9457, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
prohibido is recorded at frequency rank #3,353, classified as anadj, pronounced [pɾojˈβ̞ið̞o]. 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 9457, this pair ranks #301,866 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "prohibido" and "prohibir" be used interchangeably?
Remembering prohibido vs prohibir
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need an adjective, it's “prohibido”; for a verb, it's “prohibir”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “prohibido” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable