recabarvsrecibanWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#22,835
“recabar” frequency rank
#12,690
“reciban” frequency rank
35525
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature recabar reciban
Definition Alcanzar, conseguir con instancias o súplicas lo que se desea. Tercera persona del plural (ellos, ellas; ustedes, 2.ª persona) del presente de subjuntivo de recibir o de recibirse.

Where the spellings diverge

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

7 ch
recabar
7 ch
reciban

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. recabar ([rekaˈβ̞aɾ]) and reciban ([reˈsiβ̞ãn]) 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 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 35525, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

recabar is recorded at frequency rank #22,835, classified as averb, pronounced [rekaˈβ̞aɾ]. reciban is at rank #12,690, tagged as averb, pronounced [reˈsiβ̞ãn].

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 35525, this pair ranks #185,608 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of recabar vs reciban

Shared letters: abcer. Private to "recabar": -. Private to "reciban": in.

"recabar" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCVC  ·  "reciban" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • recabarercabar · rceabar · reacbar · recaabr · recabarr · recabbar · recabra · recavar
  • recibanerciban · rceiban · recbian · recciban · reciabn · recibann · recibban · recibna

Frequency comparison

recabar#22,835
reciban#12,690

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "recabar" and "reciban" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([rekaˈβ̞aɾ] versus [reˈsiβ̞ãn]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "recabar" or "reciban"?
"reciban" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #12,690 in our Spanish list, against #22,835 for "recabar". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering recabar vs reciban

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 “recabar” 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