Which to use
“competes” is a verb and “computers” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #21,756
- “competes” frequency rank
- #4,070
- “computers” frequency rank
- 25826
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | competes | computers |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | third-person singular simple present indicative of compete | plural of computer |
Where the eye mixes competes and computers
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence.
Visual trap between competes and computers
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: competes is /kəmˈpiːts/ while computers is /kəmˈpjuːtəz/. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 25826, 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/. computers is at rank #4,070, tagged as anoun, pronounced /kəmˈpjuːtəz/.
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 25826, this pair ranks #391,337 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of competes vs computers
Shared letters: cemopst. Private to "competes": -. Private to "computers": ru.
"competes" · 8 letters · shape CVCCVCVC · "computers" · 9 letters · shape CVCCVCVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "competes" and "computers" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Which is more common, "competes" or "computers"?
What to do next
Eye-level mix-up between "competes" and "computers" 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 "computers" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #391,337 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "competes" and "computers" 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 #391,337 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.