compranvscompresConfusable pair

Which to use

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

#9,426
“compran” frequency rank
#22,304
“compres” frequency rank
31730
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature compran compres
Definition Tercera persona del plural (ellos, ellas; ustedes, 2.ª persona) del presente de indicativo de comprar. Segunda persona del singular (tú) del presente de subjuntivo de comprar.

Where the eye mixes compran and compres

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence.

7 ch
compran
7 ch
compres

Visual trap between compran and compres

A purely visual mix-up. compran ([ˈkõmpɾãn]) and compres ([ˈkõmpɾes]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 31730, 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]. compres is at rank #22,304, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈkõmpɾes].

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 31730, this pair ranks #205,612 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of compran vs compres

Shared letters: cmopr. Private to "compran": an. Private to "compres": es.

"compran" · 7 letters · shape CVCCCVC  ·  "compres" · 7 letters · shape CVCCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • compranccompran · cmopran · commpran · comparn · comppran · comprann · comprna · comprran
  • compresccompres · cmopres · commpres · compers · comppres · compress · comprres · comprse

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "compran" and "compres" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈkõmpɾãn] versus [ˈkõmpɾes]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
In ordinary Spanish text, does "compran" or "compres" show up more?
"compran" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #9,426 in our Spanish list, against #22,304 for "compres". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Useful next steps

Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.

  • Full dictionary entry for "compran" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "compres" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #205,612 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "compran" and "compres" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "compremos vs compres". 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 #205,612 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