tejovstopoWhat's the difference?

Which to use

“tejo” and “topo” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#46,836
“tejo” frequency rank
#16,468
“topo” frequency rank
63304
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature tejo topo
Definition Pedazo de piedra plana y redondeada, o trozo de teja que se usa en diversos juegos. (Talpidae) Cualquiera de varias decenas de especies de mamíferos insectívoros, similares a los roedores, que habitan bajo tierra, cavando túneles como madrigueras y para su desplazamiento.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set tejo and topo apart are highlighted. They share 2 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

4 ch
tejo
4 ch
topo

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. tejo ([ˈt̪exo]) and topo ([ˈt̪opo]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 63304, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

tejo is recorded at frequency rank #46,836, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈt̪exo]. topo is at rank #16,468, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈt̪opo].

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 63304, this pair ranks #49,174 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of tejo vs topo

Shared letters: ot. Private to "tejo": ej. Private to "topo": p.

"tejo" · 4 letters · shape CVCV  ·  "topo" · 4 letters · shape CVCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • tejoetjo · tejjo · teoj · tjeo · ttejo
  • topootpo · toop · toppo · tpoo · ttopo

Frequency comparison

tejo#46,836
topo#16,468

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "tejo" and "topo" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈt̪exo] versus [ˈt̪opo]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "tejo" or "topo"?
"topo" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #16,468 in our Spanish list, against #46,836 for "tejo". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering tejo vs topo

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “tejo” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list