Which to use
“reciba” is a verb and “recién” is an adverb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #8,704
- “reciba” frequency rank
- #1,423
- “recién” frequency rank
- 10127
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | reciba | recién |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Primera persona del singular (yo) del presente de subjuntivo de recibir o de recibirse. | Recientemente |
Where the eye mixes reciba and recién
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence. reciba (CVCVCV) and recién (CVCVVC) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Visual trap between reciba and recién
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: reciba is [reˈsiβ̞a] while recién is [reˈsjẽn]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs adverb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 10127, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
reciba is recorded at frequency rank #8,704, classified as averb, pronounced [reˈsiβ̞a]. recién is at rank #1,423, tagged as anadv, pronounced [reˈsjẽn].
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 10127, this pair ranks #299,724 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of reciba vs recién
Shared letters: ceir. Private to "reciba": ab. Private to "recién": né.
"reciba" · 6 letters · shape CVCVCV · "recién" · 6 letters · shape CVCVVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- reciba ← erciba · rceiba · recbia · recciba · reciab · recibba · reciva · reicba
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "reciba" for "recién" ever safe?
In ordinary Spanish text, does "reciba" or "recién" show up more?
Useful next steps
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "reciba" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "recién" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #299,724 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "reciba" and "recién" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "reciba vs riba". 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 #299,724 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.