Which to use
“start” is a verb and “startup” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #18,393
- “start” frequency rank
- #27,408
- “startup” frequency rank
- 45801
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | start | startup |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Empezar, comenzar. | Empresa emergente que se acaba de fundar hace poco, aún no se ha hecho conocida y se presupone que tiene buen potencial. |
Where the eye mixes start and startup
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses start with startup
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: start is /stɑːt/ while startup is [esˈt̪aɾt̪ap]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 2 extra letter(s) - “start” sits inside “startup”, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 45801, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
start is recorded at frequency rank #18,393, classified as averb, pronounced /stɑːt/. startup is at rank #27,408, tagged as anoun, pronounced [esˈt̪aɾt̪ap].
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 45801, this pair ranks #129,375 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of start vs startup
Shared letters: arst. Private to "start": -. Private to "startup": pu.
"start" · 5 letters · shape CCVCC · "startup" · 7 letters · shape CCVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "start" and "startup" mean the same thing in a sentence?
In ordinary Spanish text, does "start" or "startup" show up more?
What to do next
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "start" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "startup" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #129,375 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "start" and "startup" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "sari vs start". 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 #129,375 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.