Which to use
“tercio” and “tercos” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #6,241
- “tercio” frequency rank
- #48,727
- “tercos” frequency rank
- 54968
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | tercio | tercos |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Que es una de las tres partes iguales en que se divide algo. | Forma del plural de terco. |
Where the eye mixes tercio and tercos
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence. tercio (CVCCVV) and tercos (CVCCVC) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Look-alike desk: tercio vs tercos
A purely visual mix-up. tercio ([ˈt̪eɾsjo]) and tercos ([ˈt̪eɾkos]) 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 54968, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
tercio is recorded at frequency rank #6,241, classified as anadj, pronounced [ˈt̪eɾsjo]. tercos is at rank #48,727, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ˈt̪eɾkos].
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 54968, this pair ranks #80,989 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of tercio vs tercos
Shared letters: ceort. Private to "tercio": i. Private to "tercos": s.
"tercio" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVV · "tercos" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "tercio" and "tercos" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "tercio" or "tercos"?
What to do next
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "tercio" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "tercos" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #80,989 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "tercio" and "tercos" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "tercos vs termos". 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 #80,989 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.