colgóvscuelgoWhat's the difference?

Which to use

“colgó” and “cuelgo” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#18,768
“colgó” frequency rank
#34,038
“cuelgo” frequency rank
52806
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature colgó cuelgo
Definition Tercera persona del singular (él, ella, ello; usted, 2.ª persona) del pretérito perfecto simple de indicativo de colgar o de colgarse. Primera persona del singular (yo) del presente de indicativo de colgar o de colgarse.

Where the spellings diverge

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

5 ch
colgó
6 ch
cuelgo

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. colgó ([kolˈɣ̞o]) and cuelgo ([ˈkwelɣ̞o]) 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 52806, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

colgó is recorded at frequency rank #18,768, classified as averb, pronounced [kolˈɣ̞o]. cuelgo is at rank #34,038, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈkwelɣ̞o].

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 52806, this pair ranks #90,893 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of colgó vs cuelgo

Shared letters: cglo. Private to "colgó": ó. Private to "cuelgo": eu.

"colgó" · 5 letters · shape CVCCV  ·  "cuelgo" · 6 letters · shape CVVCCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • cuelgoccuelgo · ceulgo · cueglo · cuelggo · cuellgo · cuelog · culego · ucelgo

Frequency comparison

colgó#18,768
cuelgo#34,038

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "colgó" and "cuelgo" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([kolˈɣ̞o] versus [ˈkwelɣ̞o]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "colgó" or "cuelgo"?
"colgó" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #18,768 in our Spanish list, against #34,038 for "cuelgo". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering colgó vs cuelgo

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “colgó” 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