Which to use
“ciento” is an adjective and “cientos” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #1,236
- “ciento” frequency rank
- #2,385
- “cientos” frequency rank
- 3621
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | ciento | cientos |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Que vale diez veces diez. | Tributo que se compone del cuatro por ciento de las cosas que se venden y pagan alcabalas. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set ciento and cientos apart are highlighted. They share 6 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
ciento and cientos form a confusable pair in the Spanish index, two distinct headwords that are easily confused because they look alike, sound alike, or both. They differ by 1 extra letter(s) - “ciento” sits inside “cientos” - close enough that the eye skips over the difference, far enough that meaning fully diverges. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 3621, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
ciento is recorded at frequency rank #1,236, classified as anadj, pronounced [ˈsjẽn̪t̪o]. cientos is at rank #2,385, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈsjẽn̪t̪os].
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 3621, this pair ranks #317,921 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "ciento" and "cientos" be used interchangeably?
Remembering ciento vs cientos
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need an adjective, it's “ciento”; for a noun, it's “cientos”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “ciento” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable