recibevsrecibenWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#1,914
“recibe” frequency rank
#3,513
“reciben” frequency rank
5427
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature recibe reciben
Definition Tercera persona del singular (él, ella, ello; usted, 2.ª persona) del presente de indicativo de recibir o de recibirse. Tercera persona del plural (ellos, ellas; ustedes, 2.ª persona) del presente de indicativo de recibir o de recibirse.

Where the spellings diverge

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

6 ch
recibe
7 ch
reciben

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

recibe and reciben 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 extra letter(s) - “recibe” sits inside “reciben” - close enough that the eye skips over the difference, far enough that meaning fully diverges. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 5427, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

recibe is recorded at frequency rank #1,914, classified as averb, pronounced [reˈsiβ̞e]. reciben is at rank #3,513, tagged as averb, pronounced [reˈsiβ̞ẽn].

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 5427, this pair ranks #313,651 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Frequency comparison

recibe#1,914
reciben#3,513

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "recibe" and "reciben" be used interchangeably?
No, "recibe" and "reciben" have distinct meanings and cannot be swapped without changing the meaning of a sentence. Understanding the specific definition and context for each word is essential for correct usage.

Remembering recibe vs reciben

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 “recibe” 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 FrequencyWords open word-frequency list