Which to use
“pasan” is a verb and “past” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #1,692
- “pasan” frequency rank
- #38,289
- “past” frequency rank
- 39981
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | pasan | past |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Tercera persona del plural (ellos, ellas; ustedes, 2.ª persona) del presente de indicativo de pasar. | Pasado, que ocurrió en el pasado. |
Where the eye mixes pasan and past
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses pasan with past
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: pasan is [ˈpasãn] while past is /pɑːst/. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 39981, 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]. past is at rank #38,289, tagged as anadj, pronounced /pɑːst/.
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 39981, this pair ranks #161,570 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of pasan vs past
Shared letters: aps. Private to "pasan": n. Private to "past": t.
"pasan" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC · "past" · 4 letters · shape CVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "pasan" and "past" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "pasan" or "past"?
What to do next
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "pasan" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "past" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #161,570 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "pasan" and "past" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "pa'l vs past". 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 #161,570 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.