Which to use
“íntimo” is an adjective and “istmo” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #11,337
- “íntimo” frequency rank
- #19,154
- “istmo” frequency rank
- 30491
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | íntimo | istmo |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Interior, interno. | Franja estrecha de tierra que une dos extensiones mayores, generalmente uniendo a una península con un territorio mayor. |
Where the eye mixes íntimo and istmo
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence.
Visual trap between íntimo and istmo
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: íntimo is [ˈĩn̪t̪imo] while istmo is [ˈist̪mo]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (adjective vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 30491, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
íntimo is recorded at frequency rank #11,337, classified as anadj, pronounced [ˈĩn̪t̪imo]. istmo is at rank #19,154, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈist̪mo].
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 30491, this pair ranks #211,706 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of íntimo vs istmo
Shared letters: imot. Private to "íntimo": ní. Private to "istmo": s.
"íntimo" · 6 letters · shape VCCVCV · "istmo" · 5 letters · shape VCCCV
Known mistypes of this pair
- istmo ← ismto · isstmo · istmmo · istom · isttmo · itsmo · sitmo
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "íntimo" and "istmo" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Frequency check: "íntimo" vs "istmo" - which ranks higher?
What to do next
Eye-level mix-up between "íntimo" and "istmo" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "íntimo" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "istmo" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #211,706 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "íntimo" and "istmo" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "insumo vs istmo". 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 #211,706 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.