Which to use
“comba” and “compás” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #48,301
- “comba” frequency rank
- #16,053
- “compás” frequency rank
- 64354
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | comba | compás |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Forma cóncava o convexa que toma la superficie de ciertos objetos o sólidos cuando se curvan o encorvan, como ocurre con la madera, algunas láminas de metal, etc. | Instrumento formado por dos piezas articuladas, utilizado para trazar círculos o traspasar medidas. |
Where the eye mixes comba and compás
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses comba with compás
A purely visual mix-up. comba ([ˈkõmba]) and compás ([kõmˈpas]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they differ by 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 64354, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
comba is recorded at frequency rank #48,301, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈkõmba]. compás is at rank #16,053, tagged as anoun, pronounced [kõmˈpas].
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 64354, this pair ranks #45,835 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of comba vs compás
Shared letters: cmo. Private to "comba": ab. Private to "compás": psá.
"comba" · 5 letters · shape CVCCV · "compás" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- comba ← ccomba · cmoba · cobma · comab · combba · commba · comva · ocmba
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "comba" and "compás" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Frequency check: "comba" vs "compás" - which ranks higher?
Useful next steps
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "comba" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "compás" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #45,835 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "comba" and "compás" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "chimba vs comba". 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 #45,835 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.