Which to use
“competía” and “competir” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #47,664
- “competía” frequency rank
- #4,585
- “competir” frequency rank
- 52249
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | competía | competir |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Primera persona del singular (yo) del pretérito imperfecto de indicativo de competer. | Dicho de un ser animado, esforzarse por lograr una cierta ventaja o premio contra otros rivales. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set competía and competir apart are highlighted. They share 6 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
A purely visual mix-up. competía ([kõmpeˈt̪ia]) and competir ([kõmpeˈt̪iɾ]) 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 52249, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
competía is recorded at frequency rank #47,664, classified as averb, pronounced [kõmpeˈt̪ia]. competir is at rank #4,585, tagged as averb, pronounced [kõmpeˈt̪iɾ].
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 52249, this pair ranks #93,666 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of competía vs competir
Shared letters: cemopt. Private to "competía": aí. Private to "competir": ir.
"competía" · 8 letters · shape CVCCVCVV · "competir" · 8 letters · shape CVCCVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- competir ← ccompetir · cmopetir · comeptir · commpetir · compeitr · competirr · competri · compettir
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "competía" and "competir" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "competía" or "competir"?
Remembering competía vs competir
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 “competía” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable