cumplirvscumplirseWhich spelling fits?

Which to use

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

#1,281
“cumplir” frequency rank
#18,210
“cumplirse” frequency rank
19491
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature cumplir cumplirse
Definition Llegar a tener una determinada edad. Llevarse a cabo, ejecutarse y hacerse realidad como se esperaba o se había ordenado.

Where the eye mixes cumplir and cumplirse

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence. cumplir runs 7 letters (CVCCCVC) against cumplirse's 9 (CVCCCVCCV) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.

7 ch
cumplir
9 ch
cumplirse

Visual trap between cumplir and cumplirse

A purely visual mix-up. cumplir ([kũmˈpliɾ]) and cumplirse ([kũmˈpliɾse]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they differ by 2 extra letter(s) - “cumplir” sits inside “cumplirse”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 19491, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

cumplir is recorded at frequency rank #1,281, classified as averb, pronounced [kũmˈpliɾ]. cumplirse is at rank #18,210, tagged as averb, pronounced [kũmˈpliɾse].

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 19491, this pair ranks #263,511 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of cumplir vs cumplirse

Shared letters: cilmpru. Private to "cumplir": -. Private to "cumplirse": es.

"cumplir" · 7 letters · shape CVCCCVC  ·  "cumplirse" · 9 letters · shape CVCCCVCCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • cumplirccumplir · cmuplir · cumlpir · cummplir · cumpilr · cumplirr · cumpllir · cumplri
  • cumplirseccumplirse · cmuplirse · cumlpirse · cummplirse · cumpilrse · cumplirce · cumplires · cumplirrse

Frequently Asked Questions

Is swapping "cumplir" for "cumplirse" ever safe?
No. They are said differently ([kũmˈpliɾ] versus [kũmˈpliɾse]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "cumplir" or "cumplirse"?
"cumplir" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #1,281 in our Spanish list, against #18,210 for "cumplirse". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

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 "cumplir" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "cumplirse" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #263,511 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "cumplir" and "cumplirse" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "cumplirse vs cumpliste". 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 #263,511 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