Which to use
“cuestan” and “cursan” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #13,010
- “cuestan” frequency rank
- #42,926
- “cursan” frequency rank
- 55936
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | cuestan | cursan |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Tercera persona del plural (ellos, ellas; ustedes, 2.ª persona) del presente de indicativo de costar. | Tercera persona del plural (ellos, ellas; ustedes, 2.ª persona) del presente de indicativo de cursar. |
Where the eye mixes cuestan and cursan
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence. cuestan runs 7 letters (CVVCCVC) against cursan's 6 (CVCCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses cuestan with cursan
A purely visual mix-up. cuestan ([ˈkwest̪ãn]) and cursan ([ˈkuɾsãn]) 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 55936, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
cuestan is recorded at frequency rank #13,010, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈkwest̪ãn]. cursan is at rank #42,926, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈkuɾsãn].
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 55936, this pair ranks #76,720 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of cuestan vs cursan
Shared letters: acnsu. Private to "cuestan": et. Private to "cursan": r.
"cuestan" · 7 letters · shape CVVCCVC · "cursan" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "cuestan" for "cursan" ever safe?
Which is more common, "cuestan" or "cursan"?
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 "cuestan" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "cursan" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #76,720 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "cuestan" and "cursan" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "cursaba vs cursan". Nearby pair
- Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes
Confusion rank #76,720 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.