cumplívscúmuloWhat's the difference?

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

Which to use

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

#24,088
“cumplí” frequency rank
#21,962
“cúmulo” frequency rank
46050
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature cumplí cúmulo
Definition Primera persona del singular (yo) del pretérito perfecto simple de indicativo de cumplir. Montón, pila o amontonamiento de cosas en desorden.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set cumplí and cúmulo apart are highlighted. They share 3 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

6 ch
cumplí
6 ch
cúmulo

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: cumplí is [kũmˈpli] while cúmulo is [ˈkumulo]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 3 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 46050, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

cumplí is recorded at frequency rank #24,088, classified as averb, pronounced [kũmˈpli]. cúmulo is at rank #21,962, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈkumulo].

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 46050, this pair ranks #127,971 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of cumplí vs cúmulo

Shared letters: clmu. Private to "cumplí": . Private to "cúmulo": .

"cumplí" · 6 letters · shape CVCCCV  ·  "cúmulo" · 6 letters · shape CVCVCV

Frequency comparison

cumplí#24,088
cúmulo#21,962

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "cumplí" and "cúmulo" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "cumplí" is a verb and "cúmulo" a noun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "cumplí" or "cúmulo"?
"cúmulo" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #21,962 in our Spanish list, against #24,088 for "cumplí". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering cumplí vs cúmulo

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “cumplí”; for a noun, it's “cúmulo”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “cumplí” 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