Which to use
“cos” and “cup” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #23,736
- “cos” frequency rank
- #9,436
- “cup” frequency rank
- 33172
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | cos | cup |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Cuerpo. | Taza. |
Where the eye mixes cos and cup
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 1 letter in sequence.
Why the eye confuses cos with cup
A purely visual mix-up. cos ([ˈkos]) and cup (/kʌp/) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 33172, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
cos is recorded at frequency rank #23,736, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈkos]. cup is at rank #9,436, tagged as anoun, pronounced /kʌp/.
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 33172, this pair ranks #198,220 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of cos vs cup
Shared letters: c. Private to "cos": os. Private to "cup": pu.
"cos" · 3 letters · shape CVC · "cup" · 3 letters · shape CVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "cos" for "cup" ever safe?
Frequency check: "cos" vs "cup" - which ranks higher?
What to do next
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "cos" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "cup" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #198,220 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "cos" and "cup" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "cos vs cuc". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #198,220 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.