closevscrossWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: close is a verb, cross is a noun, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“close” is a verb and “cross” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#32,560
“close” frequency rank
#13,877
“cross” frequency rank
46437
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature close cross
Definition Cerrar. Golpe similar al gancho, pero hecho de forma más recta. Es considerado el golpe más potente.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set close and cross apart are highlighted. They share 3 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

5 ch
close
5 ch
cross

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

close and cross 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 46437, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

close is recorded at frequency rank #32,560, classified as averb, pronounced /kləʊz/. cross is at rank #13,877, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈkɾos].

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 46437, this pair ranks #125,732 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Frequency comparison

close#32,560
cross#13,877

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "close" and "cross" be used interchangeably?
No, "close" and "cross" have distinct meanings and cannot be swapped without changing the meaning of a sentence. Understanding the specific definition and context for each word is essential for correct usage.

Remembering close vs cross

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “close”; for a noun, it's “cross”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “close” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list