tesvstosConfusable pair

Which to use

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

#28,970
“tes” frequency rank
#9,550
“tos” frequency rank
38520
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature tes tos
Definition Forma del plural de te. Contracción espasmódica repentina y a veces repetitiva de la cavidad torácica que resulta en una liberación violenta del aire de los pulmones produciendo un sonido característico.

Where the eye mixes tes and tos

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence.

3 ch
tes
3 ch
tos

Look-alike desk: tes vs tos

A purely visual mix-up. tes ([ˈt̪es]) and tos ([ˈt̪os]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they differ by a single letter - e in “tes” becomes o in “tos”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 38520, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

tes is recorded at frequency rank #28,970, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈt̪es]. tos is at rank #9,550, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈt̪os].

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 38520, this pair ranks #169,572 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of tes vs tos

Shared letters: st. Private to "tes": e. Private to "tos": o.

"tes" · 3 letters · shape CVC  ·  "tos" · 3 letters · shape CVC

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "tes" and "tos" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈt̪es] versus [ˈt̪os]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Frequency check: "tes" vs "tos" - which ranks higher?
"tos" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #9,550 in our Spanish list, against #28,970 for "tes". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Useful next steps

Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.

  • Full dictionary entry for "tes" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "tos" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #169,572 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "tes" and "tos" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "tes vs toys". Nearby pair

Confusion rank #169,572 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list