Which to use
“competes” and “complies” are a confusable English pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #21,756
- “competes” frequency rank
- #30,373
- “complies” frequency rank
- 52129
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | competes | complies |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | third-person singular simple present indicative of compete | third-person singular simple present indicative of comply |
Where the eye mixes competes and complies
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence. competes (CVCCVCVC) and complies (CVCCCVVC) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Visual trap between competes and complies
A purely visual mix-up. competes (/kəmˈpiːts/) and complies (/kəmˈplaɪz/) 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 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 52129, 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/. complies is at rank #30,373, tagged as averb, pronounced /kəmˈplaɪz/.
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 52129, this pair ranks #159,626 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of competes vs complies
Shared letters: cemops. Private to "competes": t. Private to "complies": il.
"competes" · 8 letters · shape CVCCVCVC · "complies" · 8 letters · shape CVCCCVVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "competes" and "complies" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Which is more common, "competes" or "complies"?
After this comparison
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "competes" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "complies" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #159,626 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "competes" and "complies" 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 #159,626 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.