Which to use
“círculo” and “circus” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #2,768
- “círculo” frequency rank
- #44,634
- “circus” frequency rank
- 47402
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | círculo | circus |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Figura geométrica formada por el conjunto de todos los puntos equidistantes de un centro. | Círculo. |
Where the eye mixes círculo and circus
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence.
Look-alike desk: círculo vs circus
A purely visual mix-up. círculo ([ˈsiɾkulo]) and circus (/ˈkir.kus/) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they differ by 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 47402, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
círculo is recorded at frequency rank #2,768, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈsiɾkulo]. circus is at rank #44,634, tagged as anoun, pronounced /ˈkir.kus/.
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 47402, this pair ranks #120,249 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of círculo vs circus
Shared letters: cru. Private to "círculo": loí. Private to "circus": is.
"círculo" · 7 letters · shape CVCCVCV · "circus" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- circus ← ccircus · cicrus · circcus · circsu · circuss · cirrcus · cirucs · cricus
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "círculo" for "circus" ever safe?
Frequency check: "círculo" vs "circus" - which ranks higher?
After this comparison
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "círculo" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "circus" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #120,249 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "círculo" and "circus" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "circa vs circus". 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 #120,249 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.