Which to use
“centavo” is an adjective and “céntimo” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #15,040
- “centavo” frequency rank
- #32,600
- “céntimo” frequency rank
- 47640
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | centavo | céntimo |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Centésima parte de un todo. | Moneda fraccionaria de valor igual a la centésima parte de la moneda. Es decir 1/100 |
Where the eye mixes centavo and céntimo
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence.
Visual trap between centavo and céntimo
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: centavo is [sẽn̪ˈt̪aβ̞o] while céntimo is [ˈsẽn̪t̪imo]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 3 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (adjective vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 47640, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
centavo is recorded at frequency rank #15,040, classified as anadj, pronounced [sẽn̪ˈt̪aβ̞o]. céntimo is at rank #32,600, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈsẽn̪t̪imo].
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 47640, this pair ranks #118,921 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of centavo vs céntimo
Shared letters: cnot. Private to "centavo": aev. Private to "céntimo": imé.
"centavo" · 7 letters · shape CVCCVCV · "céntimo" · 7 letters · shape CVCCVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
- centavo ← ccentavo · cenatvo · cenntavo · centabo · centaov · centavvo · centtavo · centvao
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "centavo" for "céntimo" ever safe?
Frequency check: "centavo" vs "céntimo" - which ranks higher?
After this comparison
Eye-level mix-up between "centavo" and "céntimo" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "centavo" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "céntimo" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #118,921 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "centavo" and "céntimo" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "céntimo vs céntrico". 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 #118,921 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.