completanvscompletarWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#25,181
“completan” frequency rank
#4,586
“completar” frequency rank
29767
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature completan completar
Definition Tercera persona del plural (ellos, ellas; ustedes, 2.ª persona) del presente de indicativo de completar. Hacer que algo llegue hasta su plena realización, que quede cabalmente terminado.

Where the spellings diverge

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

9 ch
completan
9 ch
completar

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. completan ([kõmˈplet̪ãn]) and completar ([kõmpleˈt̪aɾ]) 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 a single letter - n in “completan” becomes r in “completar”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 29767, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

completan is recorded at frequency rank #25,181, classified as averb, pronounced [kõmˈplet̪ãn]. completar is at rank #4,586, tagged as averb, pronounced [kõmpleˈt̪aɾ].

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 29767, this pair ranks #215,350 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of completan vs completar

Shared letters: acelmopt. Private to "completan": n. Private to "completar": r.

"completan" · 9 letters · shape CVCCCVCVC  ·  "completar" · 9 letters · shape CVCCCVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • completanccompletan · cmopletan · comlpetan · commpletan · compeltan · compleatn · completann · completna
  • completarccompletar · cmopletar · comlpetar · commpletar · compeltar · compleatr · completarr · completra

Frequency comparison

completan#25,181
completar#4,586

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "completan" and "completar" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([kõmˈplet̪ãn] versus [kõmpleˈt̪aɾ]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "completan" or "completar"?
"completar" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #4,586 in our Spanish list, against #25,181 for "completan". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering completan vs completar

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 “completan” 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 FrequencyWords open word-frequency list