competevscompitaWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#31,712
“compete” frequency rank
#48,303
“compita” frequency rank
80015
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature compete compita
Definition Tercera persona del singular (él, ella, ello; usted, 2.ª persona) del presente de indicativo de competer. Primera persona del singular (yo) del presente de subjuntivo de competir.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set compete and compita apart are highlighted. They share 5 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

7 ch
compete
7 ch
compita

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. compete ([kõmˈpet̪e]) and compita ([kõmˈpit̪a]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 80015, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

compete is recorded at frequency rank #31,712, classified as averb, pronounced [kõmˈpet̪e]. compita is at rank #48,303, tagged as averb, pronounced [kõmˈpit̪a].

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 80015, this pair ranks #12,224 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of compete vs compita

Shared letters: cmopt. Private to "compete": e. Private to "compita": ai.

"compete" · 7 letters · shape CVCCVCV  ·  "compita" · 7 letters · shape CVCCVCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • competeccompete · cmopete · comepte · commpete · compeet · compette · comppete · comptee
  • compitaccompita · cmopita · comipta · commpita · compiat · compitta · comppita · comptia

Frequency comparison

compete#31,712
compita#48,303

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "compete" and "compita" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([kõmˈpet̪e] versus [kõmˈpit̪a]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "compete" or "compita"?
"compete" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #31,712 in our Spanish list, against #48,303 for "compita". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering compete vs compita

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 “compete” 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