Which to use
“past” is an adjective and “post” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #38,289
- “past” frequency rank
- #945
- “post” frequency rank
- 39234
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | past | post |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Pasado, que ocurrió en el pasado. | Correo. |
Where the eye mixes past and post
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence.
Look-alike desk: past vs post
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: past is /pɑːst/ while post is /pəʊst/. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by a single letter - a in “past” becomes o in “post”, and the parts of speech differ too (adjective vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 39234, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
past is recorded at frequency rank #38,289, classified as anadj, pronounced /pɑːst/. post is at rank #945, tagged as anoun, pronounced /pəʊst/.
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 39234, this pair ranks #165,697 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of past vs post
Shared letters: pst. Private to "past": a. Private to "post": o.
"past" · 4 letters · shape CVCC · "post" · 4 letters · shape CVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "past" and "post" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "past" or "post"?
After this comparison
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "past" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "post" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #165,697 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "past" and "post" 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 #165,697 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.