comisiónvscompasiónWhat's the difference?

Which to use

“comisión” and “compasión” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#839
“comisión” frequency rank
#8,236
“compasión” frequency rank
9075
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature comisión compasión
Definition Acción de cometer. Estado anímico de conmiseración o lástima que se tiene hacia los que sufren alguna desgracia o penalidad.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set comisión and compasión apart are highlighted. They share 7 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

8 ch
comisión
9 ch
compasión

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. comisión ([komiˈsjõn]) and compasión ([kõmpaˈsjõn]) 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 9075, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

comisión is recorded at frequency rank #839, classified as anoun, pronounced [komiˈsjõn]. compasión is at rank #8,236, tagged as anoun, pronounced [kõmpaˈsjõn].

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 9075, this pair ranks #303,051 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of comisión vs compasión

Shared letters: cimnosó. Private to "comisión": -. Private to "compasión": ap.

"comisión" · 8 letters · shape CVCVCVVC  ·  "compasión" · 9 letters · shape CVCCVCVVC

Frequency comparison

comisión#839
compasión#8,236

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "comisión" and "compasión" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([komiˈsjõn] versus [kõmpaˈsjõn]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "comisión" or "compasión"?
"comisión" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #839 in our Spanish list, against #8,236 for "compasión". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering comisión vs compasión

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “comisión” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list