pasanvspasateWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#1,692
“pasan” frequency rank
#38,865
“pasate” frequency rank
40557
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature pasan pasate
Definition Tercera persona del plural (ellos, ellas; ustedes, 2.ª persona) del presente de indicativo de pasar. 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 pasan and pasate apart are highlighted. They share 4 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

5 ch
pasan
6 ch
pasate

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. pasan ([ˈpasãn]) and pasate ([paˈsat̪e]) 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 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 40557, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

pasan is recorded at frequency rank #1,692, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈpasãn]. 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 40557, this pair ranks #158,441 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of pasan vs pasate

Shared letters: aps. Private to "pasan": n. Private to "pasate": et.

"pasan" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC  ·  "pasate" · 6 letters · shape CVCVCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • pasanapsan · paasn · pasann · pasna · passan · ppasan · psaan
  • pasateapsate · paaste · pasaet · pasatte · pastae · ppasate · psaate

Frequency comparison

pasan#1,692
pasate#38,865

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "pasan" and "pasate" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈpasãn] versus [paˈsat̪e]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "pasan" or "pasate"?
"pasan" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #1,692 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 pasan vs pasate

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 “pasan” 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