compásvscompuWhich spelling fits?

Which to use

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

#16,053
“compás” frequency rank
#16,792
“compu” frequency rank
32845
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature compás compu
Definition Instrumento formado por dos piezas articuladas, utilizado para trazar círculos o traspasar medidas. Variante de computadora.

Where the eye mixes compás and compu

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence.

6 ch
compás
5 ch
compu

Look-alike desk: compás vs compu

A purely visual mix-up. compás ([kõmˈpas]) and compu ([ˈkõmpu]) 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 32845, 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]. compu is at rank #16,792, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈkõmpu].

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 32845, this pair ranks #199,903 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of compás vs compu

Shared letters: cmop. Private to "compás": . Private to "compu": u.

"compás" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC  ·  "compu" · 5 letters · shape CVCCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • compuccompu · cmopu · commpu · comppu · comup · copmu · ocmpu

Frequently Asked Questions

Is swapping "compás" for "compu" ever safe?
No. They are said differently ([kõmˈpas] versus [ˈkõmpu]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Frequency check: "compás" vs "compu" - which ranks higher?
"compás" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #16,053 in our Spanish list, against #16,792 for "compu". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

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 "compás" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "compu" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #199,903 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "compás" and "compu" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "comba vs compu". 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 #199,903 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