pasarvspaseConfusable pair

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

Which to use

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

#381
“pasar” frequency rank
#1,147
“pase” frequency rank
1528
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature pasar pase
Definition Llevar de un lugar a otro. Acción o efecto de pasar (en sus diferentes acepciones).

Where the eye mixes pasar and pase

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence.

5 ch
pasar
4 ch
pase

Why the eye confuses pasar with pase

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: pasar is [paˈsaɾ] while pase is [ˈpase]. 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 noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 1528, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

pasar is recorded at frequency rank #381, classified as averb, pronounced [paˈsaɾ]. pase is at rank #1,147, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈpase].

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 1528, this pair ranks #321,907 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of pasar vs pase

Shared letters: aps. Private to "pasar": r. Private to "pase": e.

"pasar" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC  ·  "pase" · 4 letters · shape CVCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • pasarapsar · paasr · pasarr · pasra · passar · ppasar · psaar
  • paseapse · paes · passe · ppase · psae

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "pasar" and "pase" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "pasar" is a verb and "pase" a noun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Frequency check: "pasar" vs "pase" - which ranks higher?
"pasar" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #381 in our Spanish list, against #1,147 for "pase". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

After this comparison

Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.

  • Full dictionary entry for "pasar" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "pase" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #321,907 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "pasar" and "pase" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "pa'l vs pase". 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 #321,907 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