Which to use
“chino” is an adjective and “cinco” is a num - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #2,199
- “chino” frequency rank
- #396
- “cinco” frequency rank
- 2595
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | chino | cinco |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Originario, relativo a, o propio de la China. | Cuatro y uno. |
Where the eye mixes chino and cinco
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses chino with cinco
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: chino is [ˈt͡ʃino] while cinco is [ˈsĩŋko]. 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 num), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 2595, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
chino is recorded at frequency rank #2,199, classified as anadj, pronounced [ˈt͡ʃino]. cinco is at rank #396, tagged as anum, pronounced [ˈsĩŋko].
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 2595, this pair ranks #320,002 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of chino vs cinco
Shared letters: cino. Private to "chino": h. Private to "cinco": -.
"chino" · 5 letters · shape CCVCV · "cinco" · 5 letters · shape CVCCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "chino" and "cinco" be used interchangeably?
In ordinary Spanish text, does "chino" or "cinco" 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 "chino" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "cinco" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #320,002 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "chino" and "cinco" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "chino vs coin". 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 #320,002 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.