Which to use
“compete” is a verb and “comte” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #31,712
- “compete” frequency rank
- #42,894
- “comte” frequency rank
- 74606
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | compete | comte |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Tercera persona del singular (él, ella, ello; usted, 2.ª persona) del presente de indicativo de competer. | Conde. |
Where the eye mixes compete and comte
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence.
Look-alike desk: compete vs comte
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: compete is [kõmˈpet̪e] while comte is /kɔ̃t/. 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 (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 74606, 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]. comte is at rank #42,894, tagged as anoun, pronounced /kɔ̃t/.
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 74606, this pair ranks #21,025 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of compete vs comte
Shared letters: cemot. Private to "compete": p. Private to "comte": -.
"compete" · 7 letters · shape CVCCVCV · "comte" · 5 letters · shape CVCCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "compete" for "comte" ever safe?
Which is more common, "compete" or "comte"?
After this comparison
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 "comte" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #21,025 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "compete" and "comte" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "comba vs comte". 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 #21,025 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.