Which to use
“cinco” is a num and “cínico” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #396
- “cinco” frequency rank
- #16,549
- “cínico” frequency rank
- 16945
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | cinco | cínico |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Cuatro y uno. | Que pertenece o concierne a la escuela de la filosofía griega del mismo nombre, que abogaba por una vida sencilla y el abandono de las sofisticaciones de la sociedad. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set cinco and cínico apart are highlighted. They share 4 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
cinco and cínico 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 letter(s) in length - close enough that the eye skips over the difference, far enough that meaning fully diverges. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 16945, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
cinco is recorded at frequency rank #396, classified as anum, pronounced [ˈsĩŋko]. cínico is at rank #16,549, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ˈsiniko].
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 16945, this pair ranks #274,143 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "cinco" and "cínico" be used interchangeably?
Remembering cinco vs cínico
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a num, it's “cinco”; for an adjective, it's “cínico”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “cinco” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable