Which to use
“contó” is a verb and “costo” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #2,598
- “contó” frequency rank
- #1,763
- “costo” frequency rank
- 4361
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | contó | costo |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Tercera persona del singular (él, ella, ello; usted, 2.ª persona) del pretérito perfecto simple de indicativo de contar. | Precio pagado por un bien o servicio, o imputado a la producción de este. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set contó and costo apart are highlighted. They share 3 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: contó is [kõn̪ˈt̪o] while costo is [ˈkost̪o]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 4361, 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]. costo is at rank #1,763, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈkost̪o].
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 4361, this pair ranks #316,274 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of contó vs costo
Shared letters: cot. Private to "contó": nó. Private to "costo": s.
"contó" · 5 letters · shape CVCCV · "costo" · 5 letters · shape CVCCV
Known mistypes of this pair
- costo ← ccosto · cosot · cossto · costto · cotso · csoto · ocsto
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "contó" and "costo" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "contó" or "costo"?
Remembering contó vs costo
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 “costo”.
- 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