compete
/kəmˈpiːt/verb
compete is spelled C-O-M-P-E-T-E: 7 letters and 2 syllables. It appears 25 times per million words in written English, the 3,683rd most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a verb, compete means “To be in battle or in a rivalry with another for the same thing, position, or reward; to contend” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in compete?
| Letters | 7: C-O-M-P-E-T-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 25 times per million words; the 3,683rd most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is compete?
Compete appears 25 times per million words in written English, the 3,683rd most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce compete?
- /kəmˈpiːt/
- /kəmˈpiʈ/
- /ˈkɔmpiʈ/
Compete has 2 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-compete.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of compete
- competes present, singular, he/she/it
- competing participle, present
- competed participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does compete mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
verb
- 1
To be in battle or in a rivalry with another for the same thing, position, or reward; to contend.
- 2
To be in a position in which it is possible to win or triumph.
- 3
To take part in a contest, game or similar event.
- 4
To strive to achieve or obtain something which another also strives for, whether knowingly or unknowingly.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Compete in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense to contend:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | rivaliser, concourir |
| German | streiten, konkurrieren, (sich) messen |
| Portuguese | competir, rivalizar |
| Spanish | competir, competer (disused) |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does compete come from?
Borrowed from Middle French competer, from Latin competere (“to coincide, to be equal to, to be capable of”), from com- (“with”) + petō (“to seek; to aim for, strive for”). Compare Latin competītor (“competitor”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).