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 eye mixes complace and complacer
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 8 letters in sequence. complace runs 8 letters (CVCCCVCV) against complacer's 9 (CVCCCVCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses complace with complacer
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
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "complace" and "complacer" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "complace" or "complacer"?
After this comparison
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "complace" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "complacer" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #201,193 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "complace" and "complacer" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "complacer vs complice". 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 #201,193 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.