prolijovspróximoConfusable pair

Which to use

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

#37,804
“prolijo” frequency rank
#1,180
“próximo” frequency rank
38984
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature prolijo próximo
Definition Largo, dilatado y extendido con exceso. Que está cerca, temporal o espacialmente.

Where the eye mixes prolijo and próximo

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence. prolijo and próximo follow the identical consonant-vowel pattern (CCVCVCV). Same shape at a glance is often the real trap, independent of shared letters.

7 ch
prolijo
7 ch
próximo

Look-alike desk: prolijo vs próximo

A purely visual mix-up. prolijo ([pɾoˈlixo]) and próximo ([ˈpɾoksimo]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 3 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 38984, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

prolijo is recorded at frequency rank #37,804, classified as anadj, pronounced [pɾoˈlixo]. próximo is at rank #1,180, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ˈpɾoksimo].

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 38984, this pair ranks #167,033 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of prolijo vs próximo

Shared letters: iopr. Private to "prolijo": jl. Private to "próximo": mxó.

"prolijo" · 7 letters · shape CCVCVCV  ·  "próximo" · 7 letters · shape CCVCVCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • prolijo ← porlijo · pprolijo · prloijo · proiljo · prolijjo · prolioj · proljio · prollijo

Frequently Asked Questions

Is swapping "prolijo" for "próximo" ever safe?
No. They are said differently ([pɾoˈlixo] versus [ˈpɾoksimo]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Frequency check: "prolijo" vs "próximo" - which ranks higher?
"próximo" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #1,180 in our Spanish list, against #37,804 for "prolijo". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

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 "prolijo" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "próximo" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #167,033 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "prolijo" and "próximo" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "pródigo vs prolijo". 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 #167,033 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list