Which to use
“compete” and “complete” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #31,712
- “compete” frequency rank
- #20,314
- “complete” frequency rank
- 52026
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | compete | complete |
|---|---|---|
| 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 completar. |
Where the eye mixes compete and complete
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence.
Look-alike desk: compete vs complete
A purely visual mix-up. compete ([kõmˈpet̪e]) and complete ([kõmˈplet̪e]) 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 52026, 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]. complete is at rank #20,314, tagged as averb, pronounced [kõmˈplet̪e].
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 52026, this pair ranks #94,794 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of compete vs complete
Shared letters: cemopt. Private to "compete": -. Private to "complete": l.
"compete" · 7 letters · shape CVCCVCV · "complete" · 8 letters · shape CVCCCVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "compete" and "complete" mean the same thing in a sentence?
In ordinary Spanish text, does "compete" or "complete" show up more?
What to do next
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "compete" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "complete" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #94,794 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "compete" and "complete" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "compete vs compita". 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 #94,794 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.