complacevscomplacerWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#16,050
“complace” frequency rank
#16,539
“complacer” frequency rank
32589
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature complace complacer
Definition Tercera persona del singular (él, ella, ello; usted, 2.ª persona) del presente de indicativo de complacer o de complacerse. Causar agrado, gusto, satisfacción o placer.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set complace and complacer apart are highlighted. They share 8 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

8 ch
complace
9 ch
complacer

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. complace ([kõmˈplase]) and complacer ([kõmplaˈseɾ]) 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 extra letter(s) - “complace” sits inside “complacer”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 32589, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

complace is recorded at frequency rank #16,050, classified as averb, pronounced [kõmˈplase]. complacer is at rank #16,539, tagged as averb, pronounced [kõmplaˈseɾ].

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 32589, this pair ranks #201,193 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of complace vs complacer

Shared letters: acelmop. Private to "complace": -. Private to "complacer": r.

"complace" · 8 letters · shape CVCCCVCV  ·  "complacer" · 9 letters · shape CVCCCVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • complaceccomplace · cmoplace · comlpace · commplace · compalce · complacce · complaec · complase
  • complacerccomplacer · cmoplacer · comlpacer · commplacer · compalcer · complaccer · complacerr · complacre

Frequency comparison

complace#16,050
complacer#16,539

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "complace" and "complacer" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([kõmˈplase] versus [kõmplaˈseɾ]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "complace" or "complacer"?
"complace" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #16,050 in our Spanish list, against #16,539 for "complacer". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering complace vs complacer

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 “complace” 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