compranvscomprasWhat's the difference?

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

Which to use

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

#9,426
“compran” frequency rank
#2,595
“compras” frequency rank
12021
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature compran compras
Definition Tercera persona del plural (ellos, ellas; ustedes, 2.ª persona) del presente de indicativo de comprar. Forma del plural de compra.

Where the eye mixes compran and compras

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

7 ch
compran
7 ch
compras

Look-alike desk: compran vs compras

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: compran is [ˈkõmpɾãn] while compras is [ˈkõmpɾas]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by a single letter - n in “compran” becomes s in “compras”, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 12021, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

compran is recorded at frequency rank #9,426, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈkõmpɾãn]. compras is at rank #2,595, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈkõmpɾas].

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 12021, this pair ranks #293,027 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of compran vs compras

Shared letters: acmopr. Private to "compran": n. Private to "compras": s.

"compran" · 7 letters · shape CVCCCVC  ·  "compras" · 7 letters · shape CVCCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • compranccompran · cmopran · commpran · comparn · comppran · comprann · comprna · comprran
  • comprasccompras · cmopras · commpras · compars · comppras · comprass · comprras · comprsa

Frequently Asked Questions

Do "compran" and "compras" mean the same thing in a sentence?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "compran" is a verb and "compras" a noun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "compran" or "compras"?
"compras" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #2,595 in our Spanish list, against #9,426 for "compran". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

After this comparison

Eye-level mix-up between "compran" and "compras" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.

  • Full dictionary entry for "compran" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "compras" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #293,027 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "compran" and "compras" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "comerán vs compran". 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 #293,027 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