Which to use
“ter” is a verb and “tus” is an intj - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #15,973
- “ter” frequency rank
- #230
- “tus” frequency rank
- 16203
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | ter | tus |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Tener. | Se usa para llamar a los perros, generalmente repetida. |
Where the eye mixes ter and tus
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 1 letter in sequence.
Why the eye confuses ter with tus
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: ter is [ˈt̪eɾ] while tus is [t̪us]. 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 (verb vs intj), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 16203, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
ter is recorded at frequency rank #15,973, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈt̪eɾ]. tus is at rank #230, tagged as anintj, pronounced [t̪us].
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 16203, this pair ranks #277,097 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of ter vs tus
Shared letters: t. Private to "ter": er. Private to "tus": su.
"ter" · 3 letters · shape CVC · "tus" · 3 letters · shape CVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "ter" for "tus" ever safe?
Which is more common, "ter" or "tus"?
Useful next steps
Eye-level mix-up between "ter" and "tus" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "ter" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "tus" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #277,097 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "ter" and "tus" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "ter vs tul". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #277,097 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.