contóvsconvoyWhat's the difference?

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

Which to use

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

#2,598
“contó” frequency rank
#15,575
“convoy” frequency rank
18173
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature contó convoy
Definition Tercera persona del singular (él, ella, ello; usted, 2.ª persona) del pretérito perfecto simple de indicativo de contar. Escolta o guardia que se destina para llevar con seguridad y resguardo alguna cosa por mar o por tierra.

Where the spellings diverge

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

5 ch
contó
6 ch
convoy

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: contó is [kõn̪ˈt̪o] while convoy is [kõmˈboj]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 18173, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

contó is recorded at frequency rank #2,598, classified as averb, pronounced [kõn̪ˈt̪o]. convoy is at rank #15,575, tagged as anoun, pronounced [kõmˈboj].

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 18173, this pair ranks #269,029 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of contó vs convoy

Shared letters: cno. Private to "contó": . Private to "convoy": vy.

"contó" · 5 letters · shape CVCCV  ·  "convoy" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • convoycconvoy · cnovoy · conboy · connvoy · conovy · convoyy · convvoy · convyo

Frequency comparison

contó#2,598
convoy#15,575

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "contó" and "convoy" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "contó" is a verb and "convoy" a noun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "contó" or "convoy"?
"contó" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #2,598 in our Spanish list, against #15,575 for "convoy". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering contó vs convoy

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “contó”; for a noun, it's “convoy”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “contó” 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