compravscompradoTell them apart

Quick tell: compra is a noun, comprado is a verb, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“compra” is a noun and “comprado” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#1,368
“compra” frequency rank
#4,984
“comprado” frequency rank
6352
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature compra comprado
Definition Acción o resultado de comprar. Participio de comprar.

Where the eye mixes compra and comprado

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence.

6 ch
compra
8 ch
comprado

Why the eye confuses compra with comprado

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: compra is [ˈkõmpɾa] while comprado is [kõmˈpɾað̞o]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 2 extra letter(s) - “compra” sits inside “comprado”, and the parts of speech differ too (noun vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 6352, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

compra is recorded at frequency rank #1,368, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈkõmpɾa]. comprado is at rank #4,984, tagged as averb, pronounced [kõmˈpɾað̞o].

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 6352, this pair ranks #311,026 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of compra vs comprado

Shared letters: acmopr. Private to "compra": -. Private to "comprado": d.

"compra" · 6 letters · shape CVCCCV  ·  "comprado" · 8 letters · shape CVCCCVCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • compraccompra · cmopra · commpra · compar · comppra · comrpa · copmra · ocmpra
  • compradoccomprado · cmoprado · commprado · compardo · compprado · compraddo · compraod · comprdao

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "compra" and "comprado" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "compra" is a noun and "comprado" a verb, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Frequency check: "compra" vs "comprado" - which ranks higher?
"compra" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #1,368 in our Spanish list, against #4,984 for "comprado". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

What to do next

Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.

  • Full dictionary entry for "compra" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "comprado" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #311,026 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "compra" and "comprado" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "compita vs compra". 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 #311,026 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list