Cyclopentane (C₅H₁₀) and tetrahydrofuran (C₄H₈O) are both five‐membered ring compounds. The present study compares the auto‐ignition of cyclopentane and tetrahydrofuran in a high‐pressure shock‐tube (20 atm). Twelve different mixtures were investigated at two different fuel initial mole fractions (1% and 2%): at X fuel = 1%, three equivalence ratios, kept constant between cyclopentane and tetrahydrofuran, were studied (0.5, 1, and 2), whereas three X_fuel/X_O2 were investigated when X_fuel = 2%. A detailed kinetic mechanism was developed to reproduce cyclopentane and tetrahydrofuran auto‐ignition. The agreement between our experimental results and the modeling is very good. This mechanism was used to explain the similarities and differences observed between cyclopentane and tetrahydrofuran auto‐ignition.