Which to use
“cuenta” is a noun and “cuestan” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #130
- “cuenta” frequency rank
- #13,010
- “cuestan” frequency rank
- 13140
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | cuenta | cuestan |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Acción o efecto de contar. | Tercera persona del plural (ellos, ellas; ustedes, 2.ª persona) del presente de indicativo de costar. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set cuenta and cuestan apart are highlighted. They share 5 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
cuenta and cuestan form a confusable pair in the Spanish index, two distinct headwords that are easily confused because they look alike, sound alike, or both. They differ by 1 letter(s) in length - close enough that the eye skips over the difference, far enough that meaning fully diverges. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 13140, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
cuenta is recorded at frequency rank #130, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈkwẽn̪t̪a]. cuestan is at rank #13,010, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈkwest̪ãn].
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 13140, this pair ranks #288,991 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "cuenta" and "cuestan" be used interchangeably?
Remembering cuenta vs cuestan
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a noun, it's “cuenta”; for a verb, it's “cuestan”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “cuenta” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable