Which to use
“cayo” and “clavo” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #8,772
- “cayo” frequency rank
- #9,776
- “clavo” frequency rank
- 18548
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | cayo | clavo |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Tipo de isla pequeña que se encuentra en el Golfo de México y mar de las Antillas, con suelo arenoso, de muy poca elevación sobre el nivel del mar, por lo que suele inundarse con las mareas altas y tormentas; a menudo tiene manglares. | Pequeña barra de metal delgada y puntiaguda, que se inserta en tablas, paredes y tabiques con un martillo, con el propósito de sujetar o pegar. |
Where the eye mixes cayo and clavo
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence.
Look-alike desk: cayo vs clavo
A purely visual mix-up. cayo ([ˈkaʝo]) and clavo ([ˈklaβ̞o]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they differ by 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 18548, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
cayo is recorded at frequency rank #8,772, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈkaʝo]. clavo is at rank #9,776, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈklaβ̞o].
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 18548, this pair ranks #267,466 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of cayo vs clavo
Shared letters: aco. Private to "cayo": y. Private to "clavo": lv.
"cayo" · 4 letters · shape CVVV · "clavo" · 5 letters · shape CCVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "cayo" and "clavo" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Which is more common, "cayo" or "clavo"?
What to do next
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "cayo" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "clavo" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #267,466 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "cayo" and "clavo" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Charo vs clavo". 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 #267,466 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.