Which to use
“competes” is a verb and “computer” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #21,756
- “competes” frequency rank
- #1,136
- “computer” frequency rank
- 22892
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | competes | computer |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | third-person singular simple present indicative of compete | A programmable electronic device that performs mathematical calculations and logical operations, especially one that can process, store and retrieve large amounts of data very quickly; now especially, a small one for personal or home use employed for manipulating text or graphics, accessing the Internet, or playing games or media. |
Where the eye mixes competes and computer
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence.
Look-alike desk: competes vs computer
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: competes is /kəmˈpiːts/ while computer is /kəmˈpjuːtə/. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 22892, 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/. computer is at rank #1,136, tagged as anoun, pronounced /kəmˈpjuːtə/.
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 22892, this pair ranks #413,277 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of competes vs computer
Shared letters: cemopt. Private to "competes": s. Private to "computer": ru.
"competes" · 8 letters · shape CVCCVCVC · "computer" · 8 letters · shape CVCCVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "competes" for "computer" ever safe?
In ordinary English text, does "competes" or "computer" show up more?
After this comparison
Eye-level mix-up between "competes" and "computer" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "competes" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "computer" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #413,277 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "competes" and "computer" 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 #413,277 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.