pasadovspasateWhat's the difference?

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

Which to use

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

#226
“pasado” frequency rank
#38,865
“pasate” frequency rank
39091
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature pasado pasate
Definition Temporada antes del presente. Segunda persona del singular (vos) del imperativo afirmativo de pasarse (con el pronombre «te» enclítico).

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set pasado and pasate apart are highlighted. They share 4 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

6 ch
pasado
6 ch
pasate

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: pasado is [paˈsað̞o] while pasate is [paˈsat̪e]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (noun vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 39091, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

pasado is recorded at frequency rank #226, classified as anoun, pronounced [paˈsað̞o]. pasate is at rank #38,865, tagged as averb, pronounced [paˈsat̪e].

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 39091, this pair ranks #166,444 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of pasado vs pasate

Shared letters: aps. Private to "pasado": do. Private to "pasate": et.

"pasado" · 6 letters · shape CVCVCV  ·  "pasate" · 6 letters · shape CVCVCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • pasadoapsado · paasdo · pasaddo · pasaod · pasdao · passado · ppasado · psaado
  • pasateapsate · paaste · pasaet · pasatte · pastae · ppasate · psaate

Frequency comparison

pasado#226
pasate#38,865

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "pasado" and "pasate" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "pasado" is a noun and "pasate" a verb, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "pasado" or "pasate"?
"pasado" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #226 in our Spanish list, against #38,865 for "pasate". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

Remembering pasado vs pasate

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a noun, it's “pasado”; for a verb, it's “pasate”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “pasado” 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 FrequencyWords open word-frequency list