Which to use
“posse” is a verb and “poste” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #42,630
- “posse” frequency rank
- #13,767
- “poste” frequency rank
- 56397
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | posse | poste |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Infinitivo presente activo de possum. | Columna vertical para un señal de tráfico o un semáforo en las vías de tránsito. |
Where the eye mixes posse and poste
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence.
Look-alike desk: posse vs poste
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: posse is [ˈpɔs.sɛ] while poste is [ˈpost̪e]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by a single letter - s in “posse” becomes t in “poste”, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 56397, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
posse is recorded at frequency rank #42,630, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈpɔs.sɛ]. poste is at rank #13,767, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈpost̪e].
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 56397, this pair ranks #74,772 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of posse vs poste
Shared letters: eops. Private to "posse": -. Private to "poste": t.
"posse" · 5 letters · shape CVCCV · "poste" · 5 letters · shape CVCCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "posse" and "poste" be used interchangeably?
In ordinary Spanish text, does "posse" or "poste" show up more?
Useful next steps
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "posse" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "poste" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #74,772 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "posse" and "poste" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "poso vs posse". 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 #74,772 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.