Which to use
“compel” and “compels” are a confusable English pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #20,067
- “compel” frequency rank
- #31,925
- “compels” frequency rank
- 51992
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | compel | compels |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | To drive together, round up. | third-person singular simple present indicative of compel |
Where the eye mixes compel and compels
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence.
Look-alike desk: compel vs compels
A purely visual mix-up. compel (/kəmˈpɛl/) and compels (/kəmˈpɛlz/) 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 1 extra letter(s) - “compel” sits inside “compels”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 51992, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
compel is recorded at frequency rank #20,067, classified as averb, pronounced /kəmˈpɛl/. compels is at rank #31,925, tagged as averb, pronounced /kəmˈpɛlz/.
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 51992, this pair ranks #160,767 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of compel vs compels
Shared letters: celmop. Private to "compel": -. Private to "compels": s.
"compel" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC · "compels" · 7 letters · shape CVCCVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "compel" for "compels" ever safe?
Which is more common, "compel" or "compels"?
Useful next steps
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "compel" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "compels" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #160,767 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "compel" and "compels" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "compel vs Cowper". 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 #160,767 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.