Which to use
“pass” is a verb and “past” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #952
- “pass” frequency rank
- #437
- “past” frequency rank
- 1389
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | pass | past |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | To change place. | The period of time that has already happened, in contrast to the present and the future. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set pass and past apart are highlighted. They share 3 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
pass and past form a confusable pair in the English index, two distinct headwords that are easily confused because they look alike, sound alike, or both. They differ by a single letter - s in “pass” becomes t in “past” - close enough that the eye skips over the difference, far enough that meaning fully diverges. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 1389, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
pass is recorded at frequency rank #952, classified as averb, pronounced /pɑːs/. past is at rank #437, tagged as anoun, pronounced /pɑːst/.
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 1389, this pair ranks #527,539 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "pass" and "past" be used interchangeably?
Remembering pass vs past
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “pass”; for a noun, it's “past”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “pass” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable