Which to use
“poco” is an adverb and “puso” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #115
- “poco” frequency rank
- #1,100
- “puso” frequency rank
- 1215
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | poco | puso |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | En menor cantidad de lo que se hubiera esperado, en intensidad baja, o en menor grado. | Tercera persona del singular (él, ella, ello; usted, 2.ª persona) del pretérito perfecto simple de indicativo de poner. |
Where the eye mixes poco and puso
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses poco with puso
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: poco is [ˈpoko] while puso is [ˈpuso]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (adverb vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 1215, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
poco is recorded at frequency rank #115, classified as anadv, pronounced [ˈpoko]. puso is at rank #1,100, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈpuso].
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 1215, this pair ranks #322,397 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of poco vs puso
Shared letters: op. Private to "poco": c. Private to "puso": su.
"poco" · 4 letters · shape CVCV · "puso" · 4 letters · shape CVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "poco" for "puso" ever safe?
Frequency check: "poco" vs "puso" - which ranks higher?
After this comparison
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "poco" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "puso" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #322,397 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "poco" and "puso" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "poco vs probo". 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 #322,397 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.