comprasvscomprateWhat's the difference?

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

Which to use

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

#2,595
“compras” frequency rank
#35,952
“comprate” frequency rank
38547
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature compras comprate
Definition Forma del plural de compra. Segunda persona del singular (vos) del imperativo afirmativo de comprarse (con el pronombre «te» enclítico).

Where the eye mixes compras and comprate

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

7 ch
compras
8 ch
comprate

Visual trap between compras and comprate

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: compras is [ˈkõmpɾas] while comprate is [kõmˈpɾat̪e]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (noun vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 38547, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

compras is recorded at frequency rank #2,595, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈkõmpɾas]. comprate is at rank #35,952, tagged as averb, pronounced [kõmˈpɾat̪e].

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 38547, this pair ranks #169,408 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of compras vs comprate

Shared letters: acmopr. Private to "compras": s. Private to "comprate": et.

"compras" · 7 letters · shape CVCCCVC  ·  "comprate" · 8 letters · shape CVCCCVCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • comprasccompras · cmopras · commpras · compars · comppras · comprass · comprras · comprsa
  • comprateccomprate · cmoprate · commprate · compprate · compraet · compratte · comprrate · comprtae

Frequently Asked Questions

Is swapping "compras" for "comprate" ever safe?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "compras" is a noun and "comprate" a verb, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Frequency check: "compras" vs "comprate" - which ranks higher?
"compras" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #2,595 in our Spanish list, against #35,952 for "comprate". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

After this comparison

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

  • Full dictionary entry for "compras" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "comprate" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #169,408 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "compras" and "comprate" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "comprate vs corporate". 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 #169,408 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