Which to use
“sucio” is an adjective and “susto” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #6,012
- “sucio” frequency rank
- #9,548
- “susto” frequency rank
- 15560
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | sucio | susto |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Se dice de lo que no está limpio. | Conmoción repentina del ánimo producida por el miedo y la sorpresa. |
Where the eye mixes sucio and susto
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence.
Look-alike desk: sucio vs susto
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: sucio is [ˈsusjo] while susto is [ˈsust̪o]. 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 (adjective vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 15560, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
sucio is recorded at frequency rank #6,012, classified as anadj, pronounced [ˈsusjo]. susto is at rank #9,548, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈsust̪o].
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 15560, this pair ranks #279,663 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of sucio vs susto
Shared letters: osu. Private to "sucio": ci. Private to "susto": t.
"sucio" · 5 letters · shape CVCVV · "susto" · 5 letters · shape CVCCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "sucio" and "susto" be used interchangeably?
In ordinary Spanish text, does "sucio" or "susto" show up more?
After this comparison
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "sucio" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "susto" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #279,663 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "sucio" and "susto" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Susa vs susto". 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 #279,663 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.