compásvscompasesWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: compás is a noun, compases is a verb, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“compás” is a noun and “compases” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#16,053
“compás” frequency rank
#34,508
“compases” frequency rank
50561
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature compás compases
Definition Instrumento formado por dos piezas articuladas, utilizado para trazar círculos o traspasar medidas. Segunda persona del singular (tú) del presente de subjuntivo de compasar.

Where the eye mixes compás and compases

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence.

6 ch
compás
8 ch
compases

Look-alike desk: compás vs compases

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: compás is [kõmˈpas] while compases is [kõmˈpases]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 2 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (noun vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 50561, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

compás is recorded at frequency rank #16,053, classified as anoun, pronounced [kõmˈpas]. compases is at rank #34,508, tagged as averb, pronounced [kõmˈpases].

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 50561, this pair ranks #102,547 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of compás vs compases

Shared letters: cmops. Private to "compás": á. Private to "compases": ae.

"compás" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC  ·  "compases" · 8 letters · shape CVCCVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • compasesccompases · cmopases · comapses · commpases · compaces · compaess · compasess · compasse

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "compás" and "compases" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "compás" is a noun and "compases" a verb, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "compás" or "compases"?
"compás" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #16,053 in our Spanish list, against #34,508 for "compases". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

After this comparison

Eye-level mix-up between "compás" and "compases" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.

  • Full dictionary entry for "compás" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "compases" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #102,547 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "compás" and "compases" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "comparen vs compases". 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 #102,547 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list