cumplesvscumplíaWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#28,310
“cumples” frequency rank
#15,823
“cumplía” frequency rank
44133
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature cumples cumplía
Definition Segunda persona del singular (tú) del presente de indicativo de cumplir. Primera persona del singular (yo) del pretérito imperfecto de indicativo de cumplir.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set cumples and cumplía apart are highlighted. They share 5 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

7 ch
cumples
7 ch
cumplía

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. cumples ([ˈkũmples]) and cumplía ([kũmˈplia]) 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 44133, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

cumples is recorded at frequency rank #28,310, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈkũmples]. cumplía is at rank #15,823, tagged as averb, pronounced [kũmˈplia].

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 44133, this pair ranks #138,733 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of cumples vs cumplía

Shared letters: clmpu. Private to "cumples": es. Private to "cumplía": .

"cumples" · 7 letters · shape CVCCCVC  ·  "cumplía" · 7 letters · shape CVCCCVV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • cumplesccumples · cmuples · cumlpes · cummples · cumpels · cumpless · cumplles · cumplse

Frequency comparison

cumples#28,310
cumplía#15,823

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "cumples" and "cumplía" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈkũmples] versus [kũmˈplia]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "cumples" or "cumplía"?
"cumplía" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #15,823 in our Spanish list, against #28,310 for "cumples". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering cumples vs cumplía

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 “cumples” 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