Which to use
“chao” is an intj and “cuyo” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #15,302
- “chao” frequency rank
- #1,240
- “cuyo” frequency rank
- 16542
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | chao | cuyo |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Utilizado como informalidad para despedirse. | Caso de genitivo del pronombre relativo, equivalente a de quien, de que o del cual. |
Where the eye mixes chao and cuyo
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence.
Look-alike desk: chao vs cuyo
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: chao is [ˈt͡ʃao] while cuyo is [ˈkuʝo]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (intj vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 16542, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
chao is recorded at frequency rank #15,302, classified as anintj, pronounced [ˈt͡ʃao]. cuyo is at rank #1,240, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ˈkuʝo].
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 16542, this pair ranks #275,733 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of chao vs cuyo
Shared letters: co. Private to "chao": ah. Private to "cuyo": uy.
"chao" · 4 letters · shape CCVV · "cuyo" · 4 letters · shape CVVV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "chao" for "cuyo" ever safe?
Frequency check: "chao" vs "cuyo" - which ranks higher?
What to do next
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "chao" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "cuyo" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #275,733 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "chao" and "cuyo" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "chao vs chop". 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 #275,733 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.