Which to use
“competes” and “complete” are a confusable English pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #21,756
- “competes” frequency rank
- #825
- “complete” frequency rank
- 22581
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | competes | complete |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | third-person singular simple present indicative of compete | To finish; to make done; to reach the end. |
Where the eye mixes competes and complete
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence.
Look-alike desk: competes vs complete
A purely visual mix-up. competes (/kəmˈpiːts/) and complete (/kəmˈpliːt/) 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 4 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 22581, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
competes is recorded at frequency rank #21,756, classified as averb, pronounced /kəmˈpiːts/. complete is at rank #825, tagged as averb, pronounced /kəmˈpliːt/.
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 22581, this pair ranks #415,512 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of competes vs complete
Shared letters: cemopt. Private to "competes": s. Private to "complete": l.
"competes" · 8 letters · shape CVCCVCVC · "complete" · 8 letters · shape CVCCCVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "competes" and "complete" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "competes" or "complete"?
Useful next steps
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "competes" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "complete" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #415,512 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "competes" and "complete" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "compels vs competes". 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 #415,512 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.