Which to use
“gusta” is a verb and “Gustavo” is a name - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #266
- “gusta” frequency rank
- #4,514
- “Gustavo” frequency rank
- 4780
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | gusta | Gustavo |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Tercera persona del singular (él, ella, ello; usted, 2.ª persona) del presente de indicativo de gustar. | Nombre de pila de varón. |
Where the eye mixes gusta and Gustavo
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence.
Visual trap between gusta and Gustavo
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: gusta is [ˈgust̪a] while Gustavo is [gusˈt̪aβ̞o]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 2 extra letter(s) - “gusta” sits inside “Gustavo”, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs name), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 4780, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
gusta is recorded at frequency rank #266, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈgust̪a]. Gustavo is at rank #4,514, tagged as aname, pronounced [gusˈt̪aβ̞o].
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 4780, this pair ranks #315,267 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of gusta vs Gustavo
Shared letters: agstu. Private to "gusta": -. Private to "Gustavo": ov.
"gusta" · 5 letters · shape CVCCV · "Gustavo" · 7 letters · shape CVCCVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "gusta" and "Gustavo" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Frequency check: "gusta" vs "Gustavo" - 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 "gusta" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "Gustavo" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #315,267 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "gusta" and "Gustavo" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Gustave vs Gustavo". 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 #315,267 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.