Which to use
“cierto” is an adjective and “cuarto” is a num - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #352
- “cierto” frequency rank
- #1,030
- “cuarto” frequency rank
- 1382
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | cierto | cuarto |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Que se sabe real, verdadero, que no ofrece dudas. | Que va inmediatamente después del tercero en una serie. Ordinal del cuatro. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set cierto and cuarto apart are highlighted. They share 4 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
cierto and cuarto form a confusable pair in the Spanish index, two distinct headwords that are easily confused because they look alike, sound alike, or both. They share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions - close enough that the eye skips over the difference, far enough that meaning fully diverges. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 1382, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
cierto is recorded at frequency rank #352, classified as anadj, pronounced [ˈsjeɾt̪o]. cuarto is at rank #1,030, tagged as anum, pronounced [ˈkwaɾt̪o].
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 1382, this pair ranks #322,149 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "cierto" and "cuarto" be used interchangeably?
Remembering cierto vs cuarto
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need an adjective, it's “cierto”; for a num, it's “cuarto”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “cierto” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable