propinavsproponíaWhat's the difference?

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

Which to use

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

#17,254
“propina” frequency rank
#19,220
“proponía” frequency rank
36474
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature propina proponía
Definition Pequeña cantidad de dinero que se da a cambio de un servicio además e independientemente del precio o salario convenido. Primera persona del singular (yo) del pretérito imperfecto de indicativo de proponer.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set propina and proponía apart are highlighted. They share 6 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

7 ch
propina
8 ch
proponía

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: propina is [pɾoˈpina] while proponía is [pɾopoˈnia]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (noun vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 36474, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

propina is recorded at frequency rank #17,254, classified as anoun, pronounced [pɾoˈpina]. proponía is at rank #19,220, tagged as averb, pronounced [pɾopoˈnia].

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 36474, this pair ranks #180,424 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of propina vs proponía

Shared letters: anopr. Private to "propina": i. Private to "proponía": í.

"propina" · 7 letters · shape CCVCVCV  ·  "proponía" · 8 letters · shape CCVCVCVV

Known mistypes of this pair

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

Frequency comparison

propina#17,254
proponía#19,220

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "propina" and "proponía" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "propina" is a noun and "proponía" a verb, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "propina" or "proponía"?
"propina" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #17,254 in our Spanish list, against #19,220 for "proponía". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering propina vs proponía

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a noun, it's “propina”; for a verb, it's “proponía”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “propina” 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