Which to use
“cuidado” is a noun and “cuido” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #1,081
- “cuidado” frequency rank
- #20,325
- “cuido” frequency rank
- 21406
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | cuidado | cuido |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Acción o efecto de cuidar. | Primera persona del singular (yo) del presente de indicativo de cuidar o de cuidarse. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set cuidado and cuido apart are highlighted. They share 5 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: cuidado is [kwiˈð̞að̞o] while cuido is [ˈkwið̞o]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 2 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (noun vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 21406, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
cuidado is recorded at frequency rank #1,081, classified as anoun, pronounced [kwiˈð̞að̞o]. cuido is at rank #20,325, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈkwið̞o].
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 21406, this pair ranks #255,082 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of cuidado vs cuido
Shared letters: cdiou. Private to "cuidado": a. Private to "cuido": -.
"cuidado" · 7 letters · shape CVVCVCV · "cuido" · 5 letters · shape CVVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "cuidado" and "cuido" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "cuidado" or "cuido"?
Remembering cuidado vs cuido
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a noun, it's “cuidado”; for a verb, it's “cuido”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “cuidado” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable