Which to use
“pasan” is a verb and “pasos” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #1,692
- “pasan” frequency rank
- #1,952
- “pasos” frequency rank
- 3644
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | pasan | pasos |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Tercera persona del plural (ellos, ellas; ustedes, 2.ª persona) del presente de indicativo de pasar. | En algunos deportes, en especial el baloncesto y el balonmano, falta que consiste en dar más de tres pasos con la pelota en la mano sin botarla. |
Where the eye mixes pasan and pasos
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses pasan with pasos
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: pasan is [ˈpasãn] while pasos is [ˈpasos]. 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 (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 3644, 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]. pasos is at rank #1,952, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈpasos].
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 3644, this pair ranks #317,875 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of pasan vs pasos
Shared letters: aps. Private to "pasan": n. Private to "pasos": o.
"pasan" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC · "pasos" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "pasan" for "pasos" ever safe?
Which is more common, "pasan" or "pasos"?
Useful next steps
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "pasan" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "pasos" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #317,875 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "pasan" and "pasos" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "pasan vs pelan". 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 #317,875 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.