compete

/kəmˈpiːt/

//kəmˈpiːt// verb

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

"compete" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“compete” has 10 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #3,678. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#3,678
frequency rank, English
5,599
“C” headwords
10
tracked misspellings
18
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To be in battle or in a rivalry with another for the same thing, position, or reward; to contend.

Corpus desk

Index EN-compete · compete · English

compete · rank #3,678 · 10 variants · 18 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #3,678
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 18 pairs
  • VAR-MID 10 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 5,599
  • PHOTO-FINISH cleaning

Nearest frequency peer: cleaning (-1 rank slots)

Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “compete”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “compete” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

compete vs comte
71% similar
compete vs compose
71% similar
compete vs compute
86% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for compete
PropertyValue
Headwordcompete
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/kəmˈpiːt/
Letters7
Frequency rank#3,678
Misspellings tracked10
Confusable pairs18
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “compete”

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).competelands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Same rarity band neighbours include “cleaning” (#3,677), “consists” (#3,679), “citizen” (#3,676). Among 5,599 “C” headwords, “compete” is #3,678. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 10 spelling variants around compete (IPA /kəmˈpiːt/), averb. Corpus frequency is #3,678 among 5,599 “C” headwords. Wiktionary lists 4 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 10 likely wrong-spelling variants for compete, with forms such as "ccompete", "cmopete", and "comepte". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 18 confusable-pair relationships, "comte", "compose", "compute", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: 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”). The correct English form is compete, spelled C-O-M-P-E-T-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    To be in battle or in a rivalry with another for the same thing, position, or reward; to contend.
  2. 2
    To be in a position in which it is possible to win or triumph.
  3. 3
    To take part in a contest, game or similar event.
  4. 4
    To strive to achieve or obtain something which another also strives for, whether knowingly or unknowingly.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how compete appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. Negga, who was born in Ethiopia but grew up in Limerick, already has a clutch of Best Actress nominations under her belt for Loving but this is the most high profile to date. She's won rave reviews for her performance since the movie's premiere at Cannes in May, where it competed for the Palme d'Or.
  2. "No. But one, or both of those men, may prove to be worse. That second man was Addison Berg, and he's agent for a firm of submarine boat builders who are rivals of dad's. Berg has been trying to find out why we abandoned our intention of competing for the Government prize."

Etymology

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”).

Antonyms

cooperate

This word in other languages

competir(Español)rivaliser(Français)streiten(Deutsch)competir(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ccompete
  • cmopete
  • comepte
  • commpete
  • compeet
  • compette
  • comppete
  • comptee
  • copmete
  • ocmpete

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of compete - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

ccompete1cmopete2comepte2commpete1compeet2compette1comppete1comptee2
Edit distance from "compete"

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 English corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "compete"?
"compete" is spelled C-O-M-P-E-T-E. The IPA pronunciation is /kəmˈpiːt/.
What does "compete" mean?
As a verb, "compete" means: To be in battle or in a rivalry with another for the same thing, position, or reward; to contend.
What words are commonly confused with "compete"?
"compete" is commonly confused with "comte", "compose", "compute". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "compete"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "compete" is /kəmˈpiːt/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What is the origin of the word "compete"?
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”). See the full etymology section above for more details.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "compete", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 7 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

citizen#3,676cricket#3,682damaged#3,684assumed#3,669

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (10 here; floor ≥5).

associate10 variantsassigned10 variantsfigured10 variantsthrown10 variants

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list