Which to use
“pasos” is a noun and “past” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #1,952
- “pasos” frequency rank
- #38,289
- “past” frequency rank
- 40241
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | pasos | past |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | 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. | Pasado, que ocurrió en el pasado. |
Where the eye mixes pasos and past
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses pasos with past
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: pasos is [ˈpasos] 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 (noun vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 40241, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
pasos is recorded at frequency rank #1,952, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈpasos]. 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 40241, this pair ranks #160,158 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of pasos vs past
Shared letters: aps. Private to "pasos": o. Private to "past": t.
"pasos" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC · "past" · 4 letters · shape CVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "pasos" and "past" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "pasos" or "past"?
What to do next
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "pasos" 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 #160,158 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "pasos" 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 #160,158 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.