recibirvsrecibirseWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#1,272
“recibir” frequency rank
#42,109
“recibirse” frequency rank
43381
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature recibir recibirse
Definition Tomar alguien algo que se le da o se le envía. Acabar una formación universitaria o profesional y obtener el diploma correspondiente que lo faculta para ejercer la profesión.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set recibir and recibirse apart are highlighted. They share 7 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

7 ch
recibir
9 ch
recibirse

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. recibir ([resiˈβ̞iɾ]) and recibirse ([resiˈβ̞iɾse]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they differ by 2 extra letter(s) - “recibir” sits inside “recibirse”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 43381, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

recibir is recorded at frequency rank #1,272, classified as averb, pronounced [resiˈβ̞iɾ]. recibirse is at rank #42,109, tagged as averb, pronounced [resiˈβ̞iɾse].

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 43381, this pair ranks #142,959 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of recibir vs recibirse

Shared letters: bceir. Private to "recibir": -. Private to "recibirse": s.

"recibir" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCVC  ·  "recibirse" · 9 letters · shape CVCVCVCCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • recibirercibir · rceibir · recbiir · reccibir · recibbir · recibirr · recibri · reciibr
  • recibirseercibirse · rceibirse · recbiirse · reccibirse · recibbirse · recibirce · recibires · recibirrse

Frequency comparison

recibir#1,272
recibirse#42,109

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "recibir" and "recibirse" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([resiˈβ̞iɾ] versus [resiˈβ̞iɾse]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "recibir" or "recibirse"?
"recibir" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #1,272 in our Spanish list, against #42,109 for "recibirse". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

Remembering recibir vs recibirse

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 “recibir” 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